Department for Transport

Railways: Tree Felling

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Network Rail on tree felling during the nesting season.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 08 May 2018



I have spoken to Mark Carne, Chief Executive of Network Rail, about their approach to vegetation management. Network Rail is the fourth largest land owner in the United Kingdom, and in the past four years has made significant progress in the way it manages vegetation growing alongside train tracks. My officials have also spoken to the Tree Council, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. It is clear that Network Rail wants to get this right, and there is a ‘gold standard’ of vegetation management on some lines. I am concerned however that tree management is carried out during the nesting season, and it is for this reason I am commissioning a review into Network Rail’s vegetation management, and have asked Network Rail to suspend all felling during the current nesting season, except where it is safety critical.

Space Technology: Licensing

Bill Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to issue space port licences for (a) horizontal and (b) vertical take off.

Joseph Johnson: Royal Assent of the Space Industry Bill on 15 March 2018 was a major milestone in establishing the environment for safe, responsible and commercial spaceflight operations from UK spaceports. We are now working swiftly to put in place the detailed regulations, including licence requirements for spaceports and spaceflight operators. We opened a call for evidence on 27 March that will assist in formulating policy related to liability, insurance and charging; and are continuing to engage with prospective licensees. We are planning to publish and consult on the detailed regulations in 2019. Once the detailed licensing requirements are in place, it will enable companies to apply to become a licenced spaceport or spaceflight operator.

Department for Transport: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: All civil servants at the Department for Transport are able to access online and face-to-face training on Devolution and Intergovernmental Working via the Civil Service Learning (CSL) portal. i) The online Devolution & Intergovernmental Working module is for all new and existing civil servants, launched in November 2016. Through four online tutorials, video interviews with senior civil servants, and ‘take back to the office’ activities, it explains how the different governments operating in the UK work together, covering devolution settlements, decentralisation, City Deals and intergovernmental relations, as well as the ‘Devolution Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements’.  Online Devolution & Intergovernmental Working20162201725201813Total40 ii) The half day face-to-face Devolution & Intergovernmental Working workshop is also available to all civil servants. Building on the above online module, delegates learn from experienced professionals who have worked on a range of devolution matters about topics such as confidentiality, when to seek legal advice and the boundaries of devolution, where reserved and devolved powers meet.  Face-to-face Devolution & Intergovernmental Working201602017120180Total1  Both the online and face-to-face workshops are included in the recommended learning for all civil servants working in a role related to EU exit. The online learning is included in the new EU Essentials for Policy Professionals programme, for those new to policy making or the civil service; and the face-to-face workshop is included in the EU Policy Practitioner Programme for those with more policy experience. These programmes were launched in April 2018. iii) Also available to civil servants are the EU exit: devolution settlements and intergovernmental working events. Delegates hear the views of Permanent Secretaries, and other senior civil servants from the devolved administrations and territorial offices, on intergovernmental relations within the current political climate. Fast Streamers at DfT are included in the central learning offer for the Fast Stream programme. Introduced in 2017 as part of Fast Stream policy learning, delegates take part in a Devolution workshop, which all brand new entrant centrally managed Fast Streamers attend as part of their Induction offer. Fast Streamers are also required to complete the online 'Devolution and Intergovernmental Working' e-learning product as mandatory e-learning within their first year on the Fast Stream programme. For the SCS, each nation of the UK leads and hosts an annual SCS conference to learn from each other and build networks across the Policy Profession. These have been held on 28/29 April 2016 in Cardiff, 20/21 April 2017 in Belfast (this included Irish Government Civil Servants too) and 26/27 April 2018 in Edinburgh. It will be for England to host in 2019.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has set a publication date for the Pathway to Zero Emission Road Transport Strategy document.

Jesse Norman: We will be publishing the zero emission road transport strategy shortly.

Cars: Sales

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of cars which use (a) diesel, (b) petrol, (c) hybrid power and (d) electric power which were sold in the UK in (i) 2017 and (ii) 2016.

Jesse Norman: The Government does not hold information on the number of cars sold in the UK. However, the Department does have information on the number of cars registered for the first time in the UK in 2017 and 2016 from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). The following table includes the number of cars registered for the first time in the requested categories:  (i) 2017(ii) 2016(a) Diesel1,047,4461,262,167(b) Petrol1,342,1661,313,365(c) Hybrid power100,64278,667(d) Electric power19,02410,998

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of up-grading charging points for electric vehicles from slow charge to rapid charge.

Jesse Norman: Such an assessment has not been undertaken. The Government recognises that a range of both rapid and slower chargepoints are needed in different locations to meet various charging needs and user behaviour.

Roads: Lighting

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential means of encouraging local authorities to use part-solar-powered street lighting.

Jesse Norman: The management and maintenance of street lighting on the local road network in England is the responsibility of each local highway authority. Highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the public highways in their charge, and this duty includes street lighting. Some authorities have introduced energy efficient LED street lighting, but decisions on which technologies to adopt, including the use of LED or part-solar powered street lighting, are matters for the relevant local highway authority.

Department for Transport: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Civil Service’s policy since February 2015 has been not to use confidentiality agreements in settlement agreements on termination of employment. The Department’s approach is to not use non-disclosure agreements for settlement agreements and instead be open and transparent with agreement outcomes. Based on the information available for the Department of Transport, including executive agencies, the number of non-disclosure agreements used are:  201320142015201620172018Total number of non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employeesData not heldData not heldLess than 5000

High Speed Two: Correspondence

Dame Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reasons were for notices relating to work on High Speed Two in Birmingham being sent to residents in Scotland; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that communications errors on High Speed Two are not repeated.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HS2 Ltd are investigating a technical error that unfortunately resulted in notices being sent to incorrect addresses, and are reviewing the process and systems used to distribute resident correspondence to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.

Driving: Licensing

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps is he taking to ensure that unnecessary delays do not occur in getting their licences back for drivers who have been fitted with a pacemaker and are eligible to hold a driving licence and fit to drive under guidance issued by DVLA.

Jesse Norman: Drivers who have had a pacemaker implanted must notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). This is to ensure that the DVLA can investigate the condition that led to the need for a pacemaker. Most drivers retain their licences where a pacemaker has been fitted and the causative condition is being effectively controlled. In cases where driving entitlement has been revoked after a pacemaker is fitted, the driver will need to apply for the return of their licence when the causative condition has been brought under control. The DVLA dealt with over 750,000 medical licensing cases in the last year, and aims to deal with all cases that require medical investigation as quickly as possible.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many cases are awaiting a decision of the Medical Committee at the DVLA; and what the average waiting time is for resolution of those enquiries.

Jesse Norman: The length of time taken to deal with an application depends on the medical condition and whether further information is required from medical professionals, such as a driver’s GP. In the financial year 2017/18, it took an average of 32 days to make a decision on a medical case, down from 37 days in the previous financial year. The DVLA has made major improvements in the length of time taken to deal with medical cases. In the last year, additional doctors have been recruited, taking the number employed from 22 to 35. In addition, ten nurses and additional casework staff have also been recruited to deal with the complex medical casework. In the last year the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) dealt with over 750,000 medical cases. It is not possible to provide the number of cases requiring medical investigation, with more than 14,000 cases being received each week.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the criteria are for activating an average speed monitored stretch of motorway; what measures are in place to (a) prevent an artificially low speed limit being implemented and (b) ensure that an average speed limit camera check is in place for no longer than necessary; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Railways: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on economic growth in Warrington of changes to the timetables for Trans-Pennine services which reduce the number of trains stopping at Warrington stations.

Joseph Johnson: Northern will operate the same level of services as TPE previously operated at Warrington. We expect that the capacity will be similar or better for most journeys.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Offshore Industry

Andrew Bowie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the economic potential of small pools of oil and gas for (a) Scotland and (b) the UK.

Claire Perry: The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) estimates that more than three billion barrels of oil equivalent remain in approximately 350 undeveloped marginal discoveries across the UK Continental Shelf and could provide considerable economic benefit to both Scotland and the UK. Many of these discoveries are ‘small pools’ of oil and gas so far uneconomical to develop and Government recognises that innovative solutions will be required to help unlock the potential and maximise economic recovery. Government has co-funded a £250 million Aberdeen City Region Deal, jointly with Scottish Government, which included a UK contribution of £90m over 10 years for the Oil and Gas Technology Centre. The Oil and Gas Technology Centre in partnership with the OGA is taking forward work on technological solutions such as an optimised subsea infrastructure that could have an important role to play in reducing the cost of developing small pools.

Energy: Profits

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of all energy network companies refunding excess profits to consumers.

Claire Perry: Energy network regulation, including the setting of price controls, is a matter for Ofgem as the independent energy regulator and, by law, Government has no role in this process. The current price control, RIIO-1, has led to significant benefits for consumers with gain share mechanisms resulting in savings worth over £5 billion. As part of this some companies have made voluntary returns of revenue, reflecting changes in investment that were planned at the start of the price controls but are now no longer required. Ofgem estimates that these returns will result in benefits to consumers worth more than £700 million.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many households are not able to access the Warm Home Discount Scheme due to their energy supplier being exempt from the obligation to offer that discount to its customers.

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many vulnerable energy customers are not able to access the Warm Home Discount Scheme due to their energy supplier being exempt from providing that scheme.

Claire Perry: Energy suppliers that are obligated to participate in the Warm Home Discount (WHD) scheme cover 94% of the market for domestic customers. Suppliers that are not obligated under the scheme can participate voluntarily. Last winter, three suppliers volunteered under the scheme. We estimate that the number of customers beyond those 18 suppliers that would have been automatically eligible for WHD last winter is roughly 60,000. There is a set spending envelope for WHD and increasing the number of obligated suppliers would not in itself increase the number of households receiving the rebate. We have recently completed a consultation on the next phase of WHD, including the obligation thresholds, and are currently reviewing the responses.

Hydrogen: Safety

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to amend Schedule 3 of the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 to prepare for increased use of hydrogen gas being conveyed in the network.

Claire Perry: The Gas Safety (Management) Regulations (GSMR) were introduced as a statutory instrument to ensure the safe management of the flow of gas through the gas network in Great Britain. They are managed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It is the responsibility of the Gas Network Operators (GNOs) to make the case to the HSE that any proposed changes to the GSMR are safe. The Department would work with the HSE to assess evidence, and if appropriate, introduce any necessary legislative change. Ofgem have awarded funding, of £15.7m in total, to two GNO led projects which are gathering evidence on increasing the use of hydrogen in the network - Hydeploy and H21. The Department is following these projects with interest. The Department is currently undertaking work to better understand the potential for hydrogen to play a role in a deeply decarbonised future energy system, including its potential to be conveyed in the legacy gas network.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Richard Harrington: The Department does not hold this information centrally and is not aware of any such agreements having been signed with employees during this period of time.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Richard Harrington: Civil Servants in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are not provided with (a) an official car and/or (b) a driver.

Tidal Power: Swansea Bay

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether there is commercially sensitive information which prevents the disclosure of details of Government meetings with representatives of the Swansea Tidal Lagoon Project.

Claire Perry: The Department takes into account a range of matters, including commercial sensitivities and the impact disclosure of information may have on, for example, ongoing discussions with stakeholders and other interested parties in considering whether to release information.

Tidal Power: Swansea Bay

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the his Department intends to disclose information regarding the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon.

Claire Perry: The Department takes into account a range of matters, including commercial sensitivities and the impact disclosure of information may have on, for example, ongoing discussions with stakeholders and other interested parties in considering whether to release information.

Nuclear Power: Inspections

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 3 August 2016 to Question 42312 and with reference to the written statement HCWS137 of 14 September 2017, HCWS445 of 2 February 2018, and HCWS617 of 16 April 2018, what his Department’s current estimate is of the total additional cost of creating a domestic nuclear safeguards regime to replace the regime currently provided through membership of EURATOM.

Richard Harrington: The total estimated cost to establish a domestic nuclear safeguards regime is up to £10 million, as explained in the explanatory notes to the Nuclear Safeguards Bill republished on 24th January 2018. This estimate includes any expenditure made from cash advances received from the Contingencies Fund. The Department’s applications to the Contingencies Fund were notified to Parliament on 2 February 2018 and 16 April 2018.

Wind Power

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of its policy on onshore wind energy on domestic energy prices.

Claire Perry: Our policies for delivering clean growth generated an average net saving on household energy bills of £14 in 2016[1].The Clean Growth Strategy sets out our ambition to secure the lowest electricity costs in Europe, particularly for domestic consumers, and also to deliver the Government’s carbon targets and ensure security of supply. [1] PG 42 Clean Growth Strategy - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/700496/clean-growth-strategy-correction-april-2018.pdf



Clean Growth Strategy
(PDF Document, 5.23 MB)

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment made of the effect of leaving the customs union on manufacturing costs in the automotive sector.

Richard Harrington: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union (Mr Steve Baker) to Question 903675.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Incentives

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each of the last six years; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) was created on 14 July 2016. Data for the department before this date is therefore not available. The Government is committed to transparency and regularly publishes details of non-consolidated performance-related pay for staff, including, Senior Civil Servants on .gov.uk. From the information prepared for the next release, details for the year 2016/17 are below:  Cost of end year performanceNumber of paymentsBusiness, Energy and Industrial Strategy£ 802,672101Companies House£ 11,5125UK Space Agency£ -0Insolvency Service£ 34,0004UK Intellectual Property Office£ 8,2501Met Officen/an/a Data for the year 2017/18 is not yet available as performance payments for performance in that year have not yet been agreed or paid.

Business: Ethics

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage corporate responsibility among (a) SMEs and (b) large firms.

Andrew Griffiths: The Department works with others across Government to encourage businesses of all sizes in their corporate responsibility by setting market and regulatory frameworks and expectations for businesses across a wide range of social, environmental and governance matters – where there will be impacts and interests for employees, consumers, communities, supply chains, other businesses and investors. For example, we are strengthening corporate governance, by driving increased accountability on executive pay, strengthening the employee voice in boardrooms, and developing governance principles for large privately-held companies. Other steps being taken include the Good Work Plan to promote better quality jobs, engagement with the Corley Review in support of growing social impact investment in the UK, and measures to support prompt payment in supply chains. Many of our leading businesses see corporate responsibility extending beyond legal compliance, and they make significant contributions towards the good of our society and the environment. We are encouraging businesses to help tackle social challenges through the Inclusive Economy Partnership as well as supporting the next generation of small firms who want to commit to social or environmental purposes alongside profit, when they incorporate.

Animal Experiments

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding his Department provided for (a) research involving animals and (b) the development of non-animal experimentation methods in each of the last four years; and what the proportion of funding was for research involving animals in that same period for each disease area targeted by the funding.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested is not held centrally and is currently being researched. I will write to the Hon. Member as soon as the information is available and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Tata Steel: Wolverhampton

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with representatives of Tata Steel on its announcement on 8 May 2018 that it plans to sell its Engineering Steels Service Centre in Wolverhampton.

Richard Harrington: Ministers and officials regularly engage with Tata to discuss a range of issues concerning the steel sector. With regards to their announcement on the 8th May, Tata Steel have been clear that they will act as a responsible seller. The UK steel industry sits entirely within the private sector, and whilst the sale of its Engineering Steels Service Centre in Wolverhampton is a commercial decision for Tata, we will continue to work closely with them, the unions, and any new partners.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Apprentices

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what levels of apprenticeship his Department offers; and how many apprenticeship starts there were at each level in each of the last three years.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) currently offers apprenticeships at Levels 2 to 6 and plans to also offer apprenticeships at Level 7. BEIS was formed in July 2016. The table below shows apprenticeship starts from July 2016 to March 2017 and for 2017-18. Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 62016-172821--2017-18-43012

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Pakistan: Terrorism

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with NATO partners on tackling terrorism by groups based in Pakistan.

Mark Field: ​Tackling terrorism in South Asia is regularly discussed with partners, including our NATO Allies. During the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Brussels on 27 April, the Foreign Secretary discussed the issue of terrorist groups operating in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the implications they have for regional security, and the ongoing efforts to tackle them.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Our records do not cover training provided over the last five years nor differentiate between fast stream and main stream civil servants. However, since July 2015, over 350 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff and over 300 from other Government departments have learnt about devolution as part of the Diplomatic Academy's Foundation Level and Practitioner Levels. Of these, five are senior civil servants.In November 2017, the FCO in partnership with the Open University launched a new online Devolution and Foreign Policy Practitioner Level learning module providing a deeper understanding of how devolution relates to every day foreign policy work. The pilot saw over 40 staff in London, North America and Asia Pacific undertake training, and the learning will be rolled out across the network in 2018.All fast stream new entrants to the FCO have since last year been required to study for and pass a City & Guilds Level 3 Diploma in UK Foreign Policy and Diplomacy, as do some staff to obtain promotion. This diploma includes material on devolution. A briefing on devolution is also provided to all new Fast Stream entrants as part of their induction.Heads of Mission routinely visit a devolved administration as part of the Overseas Leadership Development Programme. This aims to increase engagement and equip Heads of Mission to better understand and represent the interests and priorities of devolved administrations as well as inter-governmental relationships and devolved structures, and to highlight how the FCO works with other Government departments and delivers support for the whole of the UK. Since June 2016, 56 new Heads of Mission have undertaken such a visit.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many leak enquiries his Department has undertaken in the last two years.

Alistair Burt: It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on security matters other than in exceptional circumstances when it is in the public interest to do so. The leak of any Government information or material is not acceptable and the Government takes such incidents very seriously.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Mark Field: ​No civil servant in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been allocated an official car or a driver.

Bangladesh: Elections

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government will have a role in monitoring the forthcoming general election in Bangladesh.

Mark Field: ​The UK is supporting election monitoring in Bangladesh by funding short and long term domestic observers through a Department for International Development programme. We have not to date received any request from the Bangladesh Government to deploy our own election monitors. We shall continue to engage with the Government of Bangladesh, the Election Commission and political parties on the need for robust democratic mechanisms and the proper application of election law during the general election which we understand will take place at the end of 2018.

Bangladesh: Politics and Government

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the imprisonment of the main opposition party leader in Bangladesh on free, fair, and transparent electoral processes in that country.

Mark Field: ​I remain concerned that the imprisonment of Khaleda Zia, the main opposition leader in Bangladesh, impedes an effective dialogue between the main parties and could increase the risk of violence around the election which as a consequence may not be fully participatory. The Foreign Secretary met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Ali during his visit to Bangladesh from 9 to 10 February. He stressed the importance of free and fair elections and affording political space to the opposition.

Bangladesh: Elections

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress has been made on voter registration in rural areas in Bangladesh for the forthcoming general election in that country.

Mark Field: ​The FCO is keen to see accurate voter registration lists compiled and updated throughout Bangladesh in advance of the forthcoming general election, this is why we have called on the Government of Bangladesh and opposition parties to allow the Election Commission to carry out its important work independently and free of political interference.

Bangladesh: Elections

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Bangladesh Government at the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London on ensuring free and fair elections in that country.

Mark Field: ​I met Foreign Minister Ali on 19 April in the margins of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and during a 30 minute long meeting we discussed amongst other issues the importance of free, fair and participatory elections in Bangladesh.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure political impartiality in the support it offers to the Zimbabwean Government to promote free and fair elections in that country in 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK has consistently called for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, in line with the country’s constitution, and has engaged regularly with actors from across the political spectrum to discuss how the international community can best support Zimbabwe’s democratisation process. We have announced a further £5 million of assistance to civil society to help them deliver free and fair elections. We welcome the announcement that an EU Electoral Observation Mission will be deployed to Zimbabwe to monitor the electoral process.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Zimbabwean counterparts to ensure that robust, impartial and transparent procedures are put in place to adjudicate a disputed outcome of elections in that country in 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK has consistently called for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe, in line with the country’s constitution, and has engaged regularly with actors from across the political spectrum to discuss how the international community can best support Zimbabwe’s democratisation process. We have announced a further £5 million of assistance to civil society to help them deliver free and fair elections. We welcome the announcement that an EU Electoral Observation Mission will be deployed to Zimbabwe to monitor the electoral process.

Nigeria: Religious Freedom

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Government of Nigeria on respecting the right (a) to freedom of religion or belief and (b) of Christian communities in Shari'a states to own land and construct churches in that country.

Harriett Baldwin: We are firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief around the world and to being a strong voice internationally in defence of this fundamental right. Religious freedom is protected by the Nigerian Constitution and we regularly discuss with the Nigerian Government at the highest levels our concerns about threats to the enjoyment of this right.We will continue to work with the Nigerian Government, non-governmental organisations and civil society to improve both the security situation and protection of human rights for all in Nigeria.

Nigeria: Religious Freedom

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Government of Nigeria on the weaponry reported to have been used by armed Fulani herders in northern Nigeria in attacks on predominately Christian farming communities; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: ​We are aware that rural inter-communal clashes have led to violent deaths by groups with increasing access to sophisticated equipment. We continue to encourage the Government of Nigeria to work with security agencies in a compliant manner to resolve the ongoing issue and welcome President Buhari's condemnation of these acts of violence. We are engaging with Federal and State Government to express concern and encourage them to work with all parties to develop solutions that meet the needs of all affected communities to prevent further violence.

Nigeria: Freedom of Expression

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to the Government of Nigeria on (a) its proposed legislation regulating hate speech in that country and (b) the potential effect of that legislation on freedom of expression; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: We believe that the rights of individuals to express opinions and peacefully challenge authority are essential to a free and open society. Freedom of expression is essential to exercising human rights. When freedom of expression is under threat or restricted, human rights in general are challenged or diminished. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will raise issues of concern regarding the legislation with the Nigerian authorities as part of our ongoing human rights dialogue.

Israel: Palestinians

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135976, on Israel: Palestinians, what assessment he has made of the (a) independence and (b) impartiality of Israel’s investigation into the shooting of Palestinian protesters in Gaza by Israeli forces.

Alistair Burt: We have not made an assessment of this matter. We certainly urge that any investigation should be independent and transparent, its findings are made public, and if wrongdoing is found, that those responsible be held to account.

Department of Health and Social Care

Spinal Injuries: Hospital Beds

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the timetable for the beds being used by non-spinal cord injured patients in the (a) National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville and (b) Yorkshire Regional Spinal Injuries Centre, Pinderfields to be returned to use by spinal cord injured patients.

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number and proportion of spinal cord injured patients who are treated in a specialist spinal cord injury centre for their initial rehabilitation relative to those who receive that rehabilitation in a different clinical or other setting (a) nationally, (b) by country and (c) by region.

Steve Brine: NHS England commissions specialised spinal care from eight centres in England for patients who have suffered a spinal cord injury, totalling 374 beds. The service is managed locally and delivered by spinal cord injury specialists, both within the spinal cord injury centres and as outreach to acute hospitals and following discharge for transition and reintegration into the community. NHS England’s national team has advised that it is not aware of any intelligence to suggest that a spinal cord injury patient has been denied a specialist bed during the winter period due to its use by a non-spinal cord injury patient. Information concerning the number and proportion of spinal cord injured patients who are treated in a specialist spinal cord injury centre for their initial rehabilitation relative to those who receive that rehabilitation in a different clinical or other setting is not held centrally.

Learning Disability: Social Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to include proposals on improving social care and support for people with learning difficulties in its forthcoming Green Paper on care and support for older people.

Caroline Dinenage: The Green Paper on care and support for older people is expected to cover a range of issues that are common to all adults with care and support needs, including those with a learning disability. The Department of Health and Social Care and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government are taking forward a complementary piece of work to identify any issues relating to social care that are only relevant to working age adults with care and support needs and ensure that these are given the right attention. We are currently engaging with stakeholders to identify the issues this work should focus on and will set out plans in due course.

Allergies

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the detection and treatment of (a) food and (b) other allergies.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent representations he has received from (a) charities, (b) medical professionals and (c) patient groups on the (i) detection and (ii) treatment of allergic diseases.

Steve Brine: No recent representations have been received. Allergic diseases are amongst the most common diseases of Western society, affecting up to 30% of the United Kingdom population at some time in their lives. Most allergy care takes place in primary care. People with a clear diagnosis, and mild but persistent symptoms, are usually managed in general practice. Some people with allergies, and the parents or carers of children and young people with allergies, also buy over-the-counter medicines from community or high-street pharmacies. However, if there is diagnostic doubt or symptoms of a more severe disease, general practitioners often consider referral for a specialist opinion The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) develops evidence based guidance to support clinicians in managing allergy and related disorders. NICE has published clinical guidelines guidance in this area covering food allergy in children and young people (2011); drug allergy (2014), anaphylaxis (2011); eczema (2007) and asthma (2017). In addition, NICE has produced a range of technology appraisals for drugs and interventions to relieve symptoms of the conditions as well as diagnostic assessment tools. All dedicated NICE allergy guidance can be found at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/conditions-and-diseases/blood-and-immune-system-conditions/allergies#pathways Clinical guidelines for asthma and eczema can be found at the following links: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng80 www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg57

Headaches

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people who have suffered from migraine in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: Information concerning the number of people diagnosed as suffering from migraine on an annual basis is not collected.

Department of Health and Social Care: Food and Soft Drinks

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions (a) Ministers, (b) special Advisers and (c) senior officials of his Department have had with representatives of (i) the Food and Drink Federation, (ii) Coca-Cola, (iii) PepsiCo and (iv) the British Soft Drinks Association in each of the last 18 months; and what the subject of each of those meetings was.

Steve Brine: Details of all Ministerial and Special Adviser meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/special-advisers-gifts-hospitality-and-media In addition, details of meetings between officials from the Department and representatives from the Food and Drink Federation, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and the British Soft Drinks Association in the last 18 months are provided in the table below. These dates are not mutually exclusive and a number show meetings at which more than one organisation was in attendance. Discussions, a number of which were led by Public Health England, have included the soft drinks industry levy, sugar reduction and the wider reformulation programme. OrganisationDateFood and Drink Federation5 December 20166 March 201717 July 201724 August 201730 August 20171 November 20173 November 201712 December 201719 December 20179 February 20175 March 201814 March 201811 April 201826 April 2018Coca Cola17 July 20179 January 20189 February 2018PepsiCo17 July 201719 September 20171 November 20173 November 201727 November 20179 February 20185 March 20187 March 2018British Soft Drinks Association9 December 201622 March 201717 July 201727 July 20177 September 20171 November 201718 January 20189 February 20185 March 2018

NHS: Buildings

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions Ministers of his Department have had with the insurance industry on cover for NHS buildings in the last three years.

Stephen Barclay: We are not aware of any such discussions.

Hospitals: Domestic Visits

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which hospitals he has visited in an official capacity since 2016-17; and what the date of each such visit was.

Caroline Dinenage: Since the response from the previous Minister of State (Mr Philip Dunne MP) of 21 December 2017 to Question 120123, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has visited the following hospitals. DateHospitals21 December 2017Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham Women’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust4 January 2018The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, West London Mental Health NHS Trust18 January 2018The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust19 January 2018Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Essex Partnership University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust1 February 2018Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust2 February 2018Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Surrey and Sussex NHS Healthcare Trust, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust15 February 2018George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Northampton NHS Trust16 February 2018Bedford Hospital NHS Trust, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust1 March 2018Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust2 March 2018University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust8 March 2018Barts Health NHS Trust15 March 2018Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust16 March 2018Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust29 March 2018Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Central and Northwest London NHS Foundation Trust26 April 2018West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust27 April 2018Wye Valley NHS Trust Gloucestershire Care Services NHS Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Kidney Diseases: Medical Treatments

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which (a) organisations and (b) individuals were consulted by NHS England when it was developing its proposal to move commissioning of dialysis to clinical commissioning groups; and if he will publish the contents of the submissions which were received in response to that consultation.

Steve Brine: NHS England has advised that it does not publish individual responses to consultations that the respondent has not themselves put into the public domain. Further information about the consultation decision can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/510665/PSSAG_report_2015.pdf

Department of Health and Social Care: Lobbying

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on use of grant funding provided by his Department to third parties to lobby his Department.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department’s policy is that grant funding should not be provided to third parties to lobby the Department. Since May 2017 the grant agreements with third parties specifically state in the terms and conditions that this is not eligible.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients died due to a hospital acquired infection in primary care trusts in (a) 2017, (b) 2016, (c) 2015, (d) 2014 and (e) 2013.

Caroline Dinenage: Data on the number of patients who died due to a hospital acquired infection are not available in the format requested. Estimated 30-day all-cause deaths among patients following bacteraemia (bloodstream infection) due to meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, meticillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteraemia and Clostridium difficile infection for the years 2013–17 are available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mrsa-mssa-and-e-coli-bacteraemia-and-c-difficile-infection-30-day-all-cause-fatality

Department of Health and Social Care: Defibrillators

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

Caroline Dinenage: The number of defibrillators provided in each building the Department manages is shown in the following table. BuildingNumber of defibrillators39 Victoria Street (London)10Skipton House (London)6Wellington House (London)9Blenheim House (Leeds)3Premier House (Reading)4

NHS: Fire Prevention

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data the Government collects centrally on whether (a) standard fire safety checks around building structures, (b) escape routes, (c) fire alarms and (d) sprinklers are up to date across all NHS sites.

Stephen Barclay: Fire safety checks of National Health Service facilities, including hospitals, are regularly undertaken in line with legislation and guidance. This data is not collected centrally. Fire safety guidance is available in the following Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 05 publication provided to NHS organisations: “HTM 05-02: Firecode Guidance in support of functional provisions (Fire safety in the design of healthcare premises)” 2015 edition. All Firecode guidance will be reviewed following the recommendations of the Dame Judith Hackitt’s final report on Building Regulations and Fire Safety, when it is published.

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the cervical cancer screening age.

Steve Brine: The United Kingdom National Screening Committee looked at the starting age for cervical cancer screening in 2012 and recommended inviting women for screening from the age of 25 based on the evidence that screening women under the age of 25 causes more harm than good; that changes are very common in the young cervix, and approximately one in three women under 25 would be identified by a screening test as requiring further investigation. In the vast majority of these younger women, the abnormalities will clear up of their own accord. Further information is available here: https://legacyscreening.phe.org.uk/cervicalcancer

Department of Health and Social Care: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department offers the Policy Certificate to all civil servants (including fast streamers and senior civil servants) within the Department and the Department’s arm’s length bodies (ALBs). The Department Devolution Policy Certificate module has been running since February 2015. Since February 2015 this module has run 19 times and 191 people registered to attend this training session, which includes representatives from the Department’s ALBs.

Haematological Cancer

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on medical research into blood cancer.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government’s commitment to funding cancer research has not changed because of the referendum. The Department invests £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). NIHR expenditure on cancer research has risen from £101 million in 2010/11 to £137 million in 2016/17. This is the largest NIHR spend in a disease area. My Rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made it clear that we want to work closely with Europe in science and research, stating in a speech on 3 March: “the UK is also committed to establishing a far-reaching science and innovation pact with the EU, facilitating the exchange of ideas and researchers. This would enable the UK to participate in key programmes alongside our EU partners”. My Rt. hon. Friend the Chancellor has also said that the Treasury will guarantee EU structural and investment funding, promised before the Autumn Statement. He has also promised to underwrite payments for competitive EU funding awards through the Horizon 2020 underwrite guarantee, which was announced on 13 August 2016. The Government is committing to being as closely aligned with the new EU Clinical Trials Regulation as we possibly can, subject to the outcome of the future relationship negotiation.

NHS: West Midlands

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of NHS staff shortages in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands.

Stephen Barclay: The information is not available in the format requested.

Leukaemia

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of (a) the availability of current options for treatment on the NHS for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and (b) the need for new options for treatment to be made available on the NHS in that area of disease.

Steve Brine: In England there is a well-established framework for enabling access to cost effective new cancer medicines. All new licensed cancer medicines are referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for inclusion within the Technology Appraisal Programme, this referral is irrespective of the clinical indication concerned. Where cancer medicines are approved by NICE for use in England, NHS England makes these available immediately. NICE now also has the ability to refer licensed medicines demonstrating promising, but not yet certain, benefits for inclusion within the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Leukaemia

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NICE on the need for (a) new treatment options to be made available on the NHS for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and (b) open and ongoing dialogue with pharmaceutical companies throughout the technology appraisal process to ensure that patients are able to access new and innovative medicines on the NHS.

Steve Brine: Departmental Ministers and officials routinely discuss a range of issues with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), including in relation to appraisals of new cancer drugs and dialogue with pharmaceutical companies. The Department has asked NICE to develop technology appraisal guidance for the National Health Service on the use of a number of potential new medicines for use in the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia. NICE is carrying out these appraisals under the arrangements for the assessment and adoption of new cancer drugs introduced in 2016 that are designed to ensure that promising new cancer drugs can be made available to patients as quickly as possible. The Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) sets out a range of measures to facilitate rapid access to cost-effective medicines, including the option for companies to propose a patient access scheme as part of a NICE appraisal. Informal discussions have already begun with industry regarding future medicines pricing arrangements, which will replace the current PPRS from 2019.

Tranexamic Acid

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS ambulance trusts (a) do and (b) do not have a policy of giving IV tranexamic acid to bleeding trauma patients.

Stephen Barclay: This information is not centrally held.

Department of Health and Social Care: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Caroline Dinenage: No employees have been subject to a non-disclosure agreement in the last five years in the Department.

Smoking

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to prohibit smoking on publicly owned property not covered by the Health Act 2006.

Steve Brine: There are no plans to introduce further prohibitions of smoking on publicly-owned property not covered by the Health Act 2006. Smokefree policies have been successfully introduced across the Government estate through administrative means, without relying on a statutory ban.

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure people with blood cancer are diagnosed as soon as possible.

Steve Brine: Early diagnosis of blood cancers is difficult as symptoms, such as tiredness or back pain, are often misdiagnosed. For suspected blood cancers, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published a revised guideline in 2015 which clearly sets out that general practitioners should consider a very urgent full blood count within 48 hours to assess for leukaemia if adults present with suspicious symptoms. In December 2016 NHS England announced transformation funding of £200 million for Cancer Alliances to encourage new and innovative ways to diagnose cancer earlier, improve the care for those living with cancer and ensure that each cancer patient gets the right care for them. Additionally, the Accelerate, Coordinate and Evaluate Programme is a unique early diagnosis initiative, a programme of 60 projects exploring innovative concepts of diagnosing cancer earlier across England. The programme is testing a new multi-disciplinary diagnostic centre approach to diagnosing patients with vague or unclear but concerning symptoms, often characteristic of hard to diagnose cancers like blood cancers.

Haematological Cancer: Mental Health Services

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) emotional and (b) psychological support is provided to people who have blood cancer.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the cancer recovery package meets the needs of people with blood cancer.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to people diagnosed with blood cancer.

Steve Brine: The Recovery Package is designed to help patients and clinicians assess a patient’s holistic needs and plan appropriately for their care and support. It includes a Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA) and Care Plan. This guides a conversation about the person’s holistic needs (physical, psychosocial, financial and social) in order to identify any concerns. An HNA should take place within 31 days of diagnosis and at the end of each acute phase of treatment and the Care Plan updated each time. The Recovery Package is being commissioned and delivered in full or in part by many clinical commissioning groups and providers across England. Our aim now is to accelerate the process, to ensure full implementation by 2020 - available to all cancer patients.

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to widen the cancer dashboard to include blood cancer.

Steve Brine: Public Health England and NHS England developed the first iteration of the cancer dashboard in response to recommendations in the Independent Cancer Taskforce report ‘Achieving world-class cancer outcomes: a strategy for England 2015-2020’. This includes data on breast, colorectal, lung and prostate cancers. Further cancer sites, including blood cancer, were not included because of the risk of making patients identifiable when viewing data for individual hospitals or clinical commissioning groups. A second iteration of the dashboard is being considered by the National Cancer Transformation Board with a wider ambition to include rarer cancers and cancers with a lower incidence, such a blood cancers, as the dashboard develops.

Haematological Cancer

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for providing new treatments for blood cancer.

Steve Brine: In England there is a well-established framework for enabling access to cost effective new cancer medicines. All new licensed cancer medicines are referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for inclusion within the Technology Appraisal Programme. This referral is irrespective of the clinical indication concerned. Where cancer medicines are approved by NICE for use in England, NHS England makes these available immediately. NICE now also has the ability to refer licensed medicines demonstrating promising, but not yet certain, benefits for inclusion within the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Allergies: Medical Treatments

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has (a) made to and (b) received from manufacturers representations on supply problems affecting the availability of EpiPens.

Steve Brine: Departmental officials have been in regular contact with the supplier of Epipens, Mylan, and are working closely with them to resolve the supply situation as quickly as possible. Supplies are currently available, although limited, and are being closely managed to ensure that pharmacies can obtain stock to fulfil prescriptions for patients.

HIV Infection

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135263 on HIV Infection, what steps his Department has taken to in response to the recommendations in the British HIV Association National Audit 2015; and if he will make a statement on the use of health assessments for people living with HIV.

Steve Brine: NHS England is responsible for commissioning high quality HIV treatment and care, and therefore for addressing recommendations from the British HIV Association national audit 2015. NHS England published a service specification ‘Specialised HIV Services for Adults (Outpatient and Inpatient Services)’ in 2013. The aim is to provide specialist assessment and ongoing management of HIV and associated conditions in order to support patients to stay well (reduced mortality and morbidity) and to reduce the risk of onward transmission of HIV. The service aims to ensure that the outcomes, wellbeing and quality of life of adults with HIV are maximised. Further information is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/blood-and-infection-group-f/f03/

Hospitals: Consultants

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many consultant posts were advertised by discipline at each of the foundation hospitals in 2017; and how many consultants were appointed by discipline at (a) Ainedale General Hospital, (b) Bradford North Infirmary and (c) St Luke's Hospital, Bradford.

Stephen Barclay: The data is not available in the format requested.

Speech and Language Disorders: Children

Edward Argar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the recommendations of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapist report, Bercow: Ten Years, published on 20 March 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: Officials from the Department of Health and Social Care, and the Department for Education are in regular contact and work closely with national and local partners on policy to support children with speech, language and communication needs.

Allergies: Medical Treatemnts

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS stocks of EpiPens; and what steps he is taking to ensure pharmacies can meet demand for EpiPens.

Steve Brine: Departmental officials have been in regular contact with the supplier of Epipens, Mylan, and are working closely with them to resolve the supply situation as quickly as possible. Supplies are currently available, although limited, and are being closely managed to ensure that pharmacies can obtain stock to fulfil prescriptions for patients.

Department of Health and Social Care: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Caroline Dinenage: Within the Department, no civil servants have a designated official car or driver. The Chief Medical Officer has access to an official Government car and driver from a shared cross government service. This has been used on occasions where there has been a need to make confidential or sensitive telephone calls whilst travelling and where it would be inappropriate to do so whilst travelling on public transport.

Health Professions: Training

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to people studying healthcare courses; whether he plans to provide further support for those people's (a) living costs and (b) course fees; and if he will make statement.

Stephen Barclay: Since August 2017, new undergraduate nursing, midwifery and some allied health profession students are able to access loans through the standard student support system. A number of provisions are available to support these students whilst undertaking the clinical placement element of their courses. These include child dependants allowance, travel and dual accommodation support and, in eligible cases, an exceptional hardship fund. Allowing students to access the student loans system also enables them to be up to 25% better off while they study than under the previous funding system. From August 2018 new postgraduate pre-registration students and most new undergraduate pre-registration dental hygiene and dental therapy students will also be able to access loans through the standard student support system. This change will allow eligible students to access child dependants allowance, travel and dual accommodation support and, in eligible cases, an exceptional hardship fund. The Department will also put in place incentives for postgraduate healthcare students who go on to work in the healthcare sector - such as 'golden' hellos for postgraduates who go on to work in mental health and learning disability fields and those postgraduates who go on to work in community nursing roles. The Department will provide up to £10 million to support this.

Employment: Carers

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve awareness among employers of the extra burdens felt by employees who are carers.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government recognises the valuable contribution made by carers who spend a significant proportion of their life providing unpaid support to friends and family members, including those who are ill or have disabilities. That is why the Government is committed to continuing to support carers, who are vital partners in the health and care system, and will continue to support carers in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing, employment and other life chances. The Department will shortly be publishing a Carers Action Plan, setting out a cross-Government programme of targeted work to support carers over the next two years. Within the Action Plan there will be a chapter dedicated to carers in employment which will cover improving working practices, flexible working and returning to work. The Department has also been working with the Timewise Foundation on a project to promote best practice in the use of employment flexibilities to support carers. Last month, Timewise launched a new Carers’ Hub – a one-stop shop for support, advice and flexible job opportunities to help carers balance their responsibilities with fulfilling careers, as well as offering best practice guidance on flexible working and flexible hiring practices, in order to help employers find and keep talented people who want or need to work in this way. More information about the Carers’ hub can be found at the following link: https://www.timewisejobs.co.uk/caring/

Social Services: Staff

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional social care workers that will be required by 2030; and what steps he is taking to ensure that need is met.

Caroline Dinenage: Skills for Care publishes projections of the adult social care workforce and forecasts the number of adult social care jobs could increase by 31% (500,000 jobs) to around two million jobs by 2030. The Department is aware that our challenge, working alongside stakeholders in the adult social care sector, is to ensure the workforce has the right number of people to meet increasing demands, with the right skills, knowledge and behaviours to deliver quality, compassionate care. That is why we consulted the sector on the draft Health and Social Care Workforce Strategy. The results of the consultation will inform both the final strategy and the Green Paper on care and support for older people, both due later this year.

Medical Equipment: Certification Quality Marks

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with medical device manufacturers on the system for receiving UK-based Notified Body CE marking for the EU after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The United Kingdom and its Notified Bodies have been integral to ensuring a safe and harmonised regulatory environment within the European Union. On 19 March 2018 my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis confirmed that the UK and EU have agreed a fixed implementation period of 21 months, lasting until December 2020. During this time, access to each other’s markets will continue on current terms, providing certainty for businesses and citizens across the EU and UK and time to prepare for the future. The Prime Minister’s Mansion House speech of 2 March 2018 set out what we are aiming for. This included the ambition to agree a comprehensive system of mutual recognition for the trade of goods between the EU and UK – including medical devices. If agreed, this approach would ensure that, as now, products only need to undergo one series of approvals, in one country, to show that they meet the required regulatory standards - including UK based Notified Bodies being able to carry out assessments on behalf of the EU. The outcome is dependent on negotiations, but both parties have a shared aim to protect the health of patients across Europe; and to ensure the safe and timely access to medical devices, even if our precise relationship will - by necessity - change. The Government is examining all areas of the UK economy after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, and seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders – including medical device manufacturers. We have had regular meetings with medical device stakeholders to understand their views on regulatory requirements after the UK leaves the EU, and will continue to do so.

Healthy Start Scheme

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 135676, on Healthy Start Scheme, how many (a) children and (b) families in England are (i) eligible for and (ii) taking up Healthy Start vouchers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The most recent management information that the Department holds covers the period from 5 March 2018 until 1 April 2018. This data is provided by the Healthy Start Issuing Unit. We do not hold any specific data which can identify the number of eligible children and the number of eligible families. The data we hold is for the number of beneficiaries as a whole. The data shows that 402,384 people are eligible for Healthy Start in England and that the number of beneficiaries in receipt of Healthy Start is 266,713.

Learning Disability: Death

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to oral contribution of the Minister for Care of 8 May 2018, Official Report, column 545, on Learning Disabilities Mortality Review, who took the decision to publish the Learning Disability Mortality Review Annual Report on 4 May 2018.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Care of 8 May 2018, Official Report, column 545, on Learning Disabilities Mortality Review, whether NHS England was involved in the decision to publish the Learning Disability Mortality Review Annual Report on 4 May 2018.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Care of 8 May 2018, Official Report, column 545, on Learning Disabilities Mortality Review, whether NHS England was involved in directing the communications around the decision to publish the Learning Disability Mortality Review Annual Report on 4 May 2018.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Care of 8 May 2018, Official Report, column 545, on Learning Disabilities Mortality Review, for what reason the decision was taken to publish the Learning Disability Mortality Review Annual Report on 4 May 2018.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Care of 8 May 2018, Official Report, column 545, on Learning Disabilities Mortality Review, whether his Department was involved in the decision to publish the Learning Disability Mortality Review Annual Report on 4 May 2018; and when his Department first saw a copy of that report.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has been informed by NHS England that NHS England and the University of Bristol decided that the Annual Report of the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review Programme should be published on Friday 4 May 2018, which was the earliest date following the local government elections. The Department was not involved in the decision to publish the Annual Report of the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review programme on 4 May. The Department was informally notified of the intended publication by NHS England on Thursday 3 May 2018 and sent a copy of the report on that day.

Hyperactivity

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of cases of (a) diagnosed and (b) undiagnosed ADHD.

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of treatment of and support for patients with ADHD.

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to track (a) the number of ADHD diagnoses, (b) the waiting times for an ADHD diagnosis and (c) the number by region of ADHD diagnoses.

Caroline Dinenage: Information on the number of people with a diagnosis of ADHD, or whose ADHD has not been diagnosed, is not collected centrally and no estimate has been made. NHS services should be following guidance published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on ‘Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management (NICE guideline 87)’, which was revised in April 2018. This covers recognising, diagnosing and managing ADHD in children, young people and adults. It aims to improve recognition and diagnosis, as well as the quality of care and support for people with ADHD. The Department has commissioned NHS Digital to survey the prevalence of mental health disorders in children and young people. The survey report is expected in autumn 2018 and will include a chapter on hyperactivity disorders. Having more up-to-date information on prevalence will ensure the local National Health Service can plan appropriate service provision.

Exercise

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make physical activity a policy priority for his Department.

Steve Brine: The Department recognises the importance of physical activity. We are committed to the World Health Organization‘s target of a 15% relative reduction in the prevalence of physical inactivity by 2025. We are reviewing the Chief Medical Officer guidelines for physical activity. This review will provide updated public health guidelines for the population. Physical activity and sport are a key part of our childhood obesity plan and have an important role in maintaining and improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Through the plan we have committed to invest revenue from the soft drinks industry levy in child health and physical activity, including doubling the primary PE and sport premium to £320 million a year from the 2017-18 academic year and £100 million in 2018-19 for the healthy pupils capital fund.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of women in (a) the Wallasey constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) the North West who might have been affected by thebreastcancer screening error.

Steve Brine: Data on the number of women affected will be published by the end of May.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Alcohol Research UK and Alcohol Concern's report, The hardest hit: Addressing the crisis in alcohol treatment services,  published in May 2018, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings in that report; and if he will meet with representatives of the (a) Drugs, Alcohol and Justice and (b) Alchohol Harm All-Party Parliamentary Groups to discuss that report's recommendations for the alcohol treatment sector.

Steve Brine: The Department keeps the impact of all its policies under review. I would be happy to receive a request for a meeting with members of the Drugs, Alcohol and Justice Cross-Party Parliamentary Group and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Harm to discuss the report published by Alcohol Research UK and Alcohol Concern.

Social Services: Minimum Wage

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2018 to Question 128962 on social services: minimum wage, if his Department will publish the evidence base referred to in that Answer.

Caroline Dinenage: The Deloitte and Frontier Economics and LaingBuisson studies into sleep-in back pay liabilities form part of the evidence base that is being used to assess options and are subject to further analysis and refinement. Consequently, there is currently no timetable for sharing a summary of either report.

Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships: South East

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Sussex and East Surrey Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) has the support it needs to move out of category 4 of the STP progress dashboard.

Stephen Barclay: Sussex and East Surrey Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) has strengthened its leadership with Bob Alexander now full-time in post since February and Karen Breen, a new programme director in post since April. NHS England is working with both Bob Alexander and Karen Breen to further align support to the STP’s work programmes. NHS England Director of Commissioning Operations for Kent, Surrey and Sussex (Felicity Cox) and Director of Assurance and Delivery (Pennie Ford) meet regularly with Bob and Karen to review progress and identify any further support needed by the STP. The initial focus for 2018/19 is on improving system financial and service delivery performance.

Members: Correspondence

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by what date he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Rochdale dated 13 March 2018 reference number IW/0038.

Stephen Barclay: I responded to the hon. Member’s letter today (14 May).

Breast Cancer: Screening

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish details of which NHS Trusts have raised concerns with his Department on the breast cancer screening programme since 2010.

Steve Brine: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cannabis: Misuse

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospital admissions related to cannabis use there have been in (a) Manchester and (b) the UK in each of the last three years.

Steve Brine: NHS Digital has provided information in the attached table on the number of finished admission episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis recorded for cannabis use in England by clinical commissioning group of treatment, 2014-15 to 2016-17.



PQ142486 attached table
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Breast Cancer: Screening

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to increase the number of mammographers and radiologists in order to extend the capacity of the breast screening programme.

Steve Brine: The first ever Cancer Workforce Plan, which Health Education England (HEE) published in December 2017, sets out how we will expand our workforce numbers and invest in the skills of our staff and use their time and expertise where it is needed most. HEE has already committed to training 1,890 more diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers by 2021. The plan further commits to the expansion of capacity and skills, including an additional 300 reporting radiographers by 2021.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is from referral to first treatment for young people in Warrington requiring treatment for mental ill-health.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not hold the information in the format requested. However, the Department has put two waiting time standards relevant to children and young people in place, for which national data is available. For psychosis, first episodes are normally experienced in teenage years, hence introduction of the waiting time standard for early intervention in psychosis, which applies to all ages. Nationally this is currently exceeding its target of 50%, with 75.9% of patients receiving treatment within two weeks of referral. The waiting time element of the eating disorder standard, which applies to those up to 19 years, is on track to meet its target of 95% by 2020/21, with 78.9% of urgent cases nationally receiving treatment within a week and 79.9% of routine cases receive treatment within four weeks of referral. NHS Digital’s analysis of children and young people waiting times is also published and can be found at the following link: http://content.digital.nhs.uk/suppinfofiles

General Practitioners: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to attract more GPs to Warrington.

Steve Brine: There are a number of schemes and initiatives to recruit and also to retain general practitioners (GPs) within Warrington. These include the GP Retained Doctor Scheme and also the GP International Recruitment Scheme which has received national approval and is now underway. NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is part of these schemes and aims to recruit at least 12 GPs from the GP International Recruitment Programme. Alongside this, Warrington CCG has undertaken several other pieces of work aimed at supporting GPs and general practice in the area, such as;- Carrying out an audit of appointments which indicated that the majority of those people seen by a GP did not need to see a GP, which suggests that there are opportunities to redesign the workforce;- Scoped out demand and capacity within general practice to establish if the correct workforce is in place and to identify and address workforce issues;- Worked closely with NHS England to develop the role of support staff as care navigators to free up GP time;- Worked collaboratively across groups of practices known as clusters to share skill mixes amongst practices, developing new care models for primary care pathways that will ensure collaborative working with wider health care services, to ensure patients are seen at the right time by the right part of the system; and- Refreshed the primary care strategy with workforce as a priority.

Nurses: Training

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many students will be studying the nursing degree apprenticeship in the 2018-19 academic year.

Stephen Barclay: The 2018/19 academic year does not begin until September 2018. Unlike students applying to study nursing full time at university, nurse degree apprentices do not apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service system therefore we are unable to say how many nurse degree apprentices will be studying in the forthcoming academic year. Employers are responsible for developing workforce plans that respond to their own workforce development and skills mix needs, therefore the numbers of nurse degree apprentices that employers choose to recruit and train over the forthcoming academic year will depend on their individual workforce planning requirements.

Bereavement Counselling: Children and Young People

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial support (b) guidance and (c) training his Department provides to child bereavement services to ensure appropriate support for children and young people.

Caroline Dinenage: The funding and delivery of National Health Service bereavement services, including the training of staff, is a local matter.Bereavement care is a key part of the provision of good end of life care as set out in the Government’s end of life care Choice Commitment, published in July 2016. As part of this, Health Education England, in partnership with Skills for Care and Skills for Health, published a refreshed End of Life Care Core Skills Education and Training Framework in March 2017. This aims to standardise end of life care training and education, including around bereavement care. The Government’s Choice Commitment and the framework can be found at the following links: www.gov.uk/government/publications/choice-in-end-of-life-care-government-response www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/services/item/536-end-of-life-care-cstf-download The importance of bereavement care is also reflected in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard on end of life care, and other NICE end of life care guidance, which commissioners should take into account when planning services for local populations. The Quality Standard, which highlights that children may need specific tailored support to help them with bereavement, can be found at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs13 The Quality Standard draws on a range of evidence, including older Departmental guidance such as When a person dies: guidance for professionals on developing bereavement services, first published by the Department in 2005, and updated in 2011 by the Primary Care Commissioning Service with support from the NHS National End of Life Care Programme and the Bereavement Services Association. The guidance can be found at the following link: www.pcc-cic.org.uk/sites/default/files/articles/attachments/when_a_person_dies_19_oct_2011.pdf

Wales Office

Breast Cancer: Wales

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with ministers in the Welsh Government on the NHS in Wales' breast-screening process being scrutinised by an independent reviewer.

Alun Cairns: The Under-Secretary of State for Wales, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, discussed the matter with the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services last week. Whilst the UK Government has offered support if required, any review of the process undertaken in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government.

Breast Cancer: Wales

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether the computing system used by the NHS in England which was responsible for the failure to register thousands of women for breast screening is the same system that is used in Wales.

Alun Cairns: The Under-Secretary of State for Wales, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, discussed the matter with the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services last week. The system used in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government; however I understand that they use the same NBSS system as in England.

Breast Cancer: Wales

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what information he holds on when the Welsh Government became aware of the possibility that a faulty computing system in the NHS in Wales may have been responsible as in England for the failure to register thousands of women for breast screening.

Alun Cairns: The Under-Secretary of State for Wales, Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, discussed the matter with the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services last week and offered support to Welsh Ministers. Separately, officials from Public Health England have been in discussions with Public Health Wales.

Severn River Crossing

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what representations he has received on the re-naming of the second Severn Crossing.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he took to seek public opinion on the re-naming of the second Severn Crossing.

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of giving the second Severn Crossing a Welsh name.

Alun Cairns: As the hon Member knows, the decision to rename the Second Severn Crossing has drawn a variety of views. I have received several representations from people agreeing that it is a fitting tribute to His Royal Highness in a year that sees him mark 60 years as The Prince of Wales. I have corresponded regularly with the Welsh Government, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Department for Transport and with the Royal Household over the course of the last year. The new name is intended to represent all Princes of Wales, past, present and future.

Department for Education

Higher Education: Admissions

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with (a) representatives of the universities sector and (b) the Home Office on ensuring that British-born children of immigrants are not deterred from applying to university by the application fee for such children to register as British citizens.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Holding answer received on 25 April 2018



I want to promote a higher education system in England that it is open and inclusive. The Department for Education is not aware of any prospective students being deterred by the application fee in question. However, I will endeavour to meet with my counterpart at the Home Office to discuss this important issue.

Children in Care

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he made of the change in the number of children entering the care system since 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: We monitor the number of children entering the care system on an ongoing basis and information showing the change in the number of children entering the care system for the period since 2010 is provided in the table attached.Further breakdowns of children who started to be looked after can be found in Table C1 of the statistical first release 'Children Looked After in England including Adoption: 2016 to 2017' at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.We set out our vision for delivering excellent children’s social care in ‘Putting Children First’. This outlines our reform programme which seeks to: improve the quality of social work practice; create systems and environments where great social work can flourish; promote learning and multi-agency working where all involved in supporting children and families can work together; and support children who both enter and leave the care system. The reforms are designed to ensure that all vulnerable children and families receive the highest-quality care and support. We have invested over £200 million through the Innovation Programme to test and develop better practice, including testing approaches to help vulnerable children to remain safely at home.



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Pupils: Dyspraxia

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative estimate he has made of the number of school children with dyspraxia who are subject to Education Health Care Plans and those with statements under the previous SEN and learning difficulties assessments in each of the last five years.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school children with hearing impairments were subject to (a) Education Health Care Plans and (b) statements under the previous SEN and learning difficulties assessments in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: We publish the number and proportion of pupils with special educational needs (SEN), including the type of need in the annual ‘Special educational needs in England’ statistical release:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-special-educational-needs-sen. Pupils with SEN are recorded according to their primary type of need. The current types of need were defined in 2015 and do not include a specific breakdown for dyspraxia alone. These cases are expected to be recorded under ‘Specific Learning Disability’. No estimates of the number of children with dyspraxia within this category have been made. Hearing Impairment is included as a type of need.  The table attached shows a breakdown of the number of pupils by each primary type of need available for the last five years (as at January each year). 



140756_140763_Number_of_pupils_by_type_of_need
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Department for Education: Written Questions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to respond to Question 137063 on Social Mobility Commission: Public Appointments, tabled by the hon. Member for Ashton-under Lyne on 23 April 2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne to the answer I gave on 11 May 2018 to Question 137063.

Department for Education: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Anne Milton: Civil Service Learning (CSL) provides a range of central learning opportunities, including online and face-to-face training, for all civil servants on devolution and intergovernmental working. The online ‘Devolution & Intergovernmental Working’ module, launched in November 2016, is for all new and existing civil servants. Through four online tutorials, video interviews with senior civil servants, and ‘take back to the office’ activities, it explains how the different governments operating in the UK work together, covering devolution settlements, decentralisation, City Deals and intergovernmental relations, as well as the ‘Devolution Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements’. 15 civil servants have engaged with the online training since its release (attached).The online ‘Collaboration across departments, government and beyond’ module is for all new and existing civil servants. Through online tutorials, video interviews and supporting materials, it explains about collaborative working with the devolved administrations and other government departments or with private and not-for-profit organisations. 36 civil servants have engaged with the online training since its release (attached). There are other learning and training initiatives to build capability and raise awareness of devolution across the departments, which include: The annual One Civil Service interchange scheme which supports civil servants across the devolved administrations and UK government to learn from each other through networking, shadowing and short term placements - five officials worked-shadowed in the Scottish and Welsh governments in 2017 and the department hosted five officials from all three devolved administrations in March 2018.An annual learning week which comprises of presentations that help colleagues build their understanding of devolution and working with the devolved administrations. The next learning week will take place in June.A devolution wiki page provides staff with information about the One Civil Service Devolution and You programme and other devolution CSL opportunities.



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Apprentices: Telford

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase the number of degree apprenticeships available in the Telford constituency.

Anne Milton: The government has created a £10 million Degree Apprenticeship Development Fund to support the development and take up of degree apprenticeships across England. Harper Adams University is the closest university to Telford to receive money from this fund - followed by Staffordshire University, University of Keele, Birmingham City University and Aston University. Degree level apprenticeships have grown year on year with over 6,600 starts since their introduction, including over 4,000 starts this academic year (2017/18) with over 100 higher education institutions registered to deliver apprenticeships, including several in the West Midlands. In Telford constituency there were 1,300 apprenticeship starts across all levels. Of these, 90 were higher level apprenticeships, which includes degree-level starts. The National Apprenticeship Service and UCAS have created a degree apprenticeship vacancy listing to highlight opportunities available across all areas of the country - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-and-degree-apprenticeship-vacancies.

Department for Education: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many leak enquiries his Department has undertaken in the last two years.

Anne Milton: Holding answer received on 09 May 2018



The leak of any government information or material is not acceptable and the government takes such incidents very seriously. It has been the policy of successive governments not to comment on security matters other than in exceptional circumstances when it is in the public interest to do so.

Unemployment: Young People

Alex Burghart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2018 to Question 131803 on Unemployment: Young People, if he will provide the same figures for children of the Gypsy, Traveller and Roma communities.

Anne Milton: The table below shows the number and proportion of Gypsy, Traveller of Irish heritage and Roma pupils who were not in education, employment or training for the whole of academic year 2013-14, three years after finishing key stage 4 by eligibility for free school meals between the academic ages of 10 and 15 and whether or not they were in the Children in Need census.  Eligible for free school meals between 10 and 15Not eligible for free school meals between 10 and 15 In the Children in Need censusNot in the Children in Need censusIn the Children in Need censusNot in the Children in Need censusGypsy, Traveller of Irish heritage and Roma100 (33%)100 (20%)less than 50 (23%)less than 50 (10%)Numbers are rounded to the nearest 100

Department for Education: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education has not signed any non-disclosure agreements with its employees in the last five years.

Education: North of England

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding each (a) project, (b) organisation and (c) initiative received from the Northern Powerhouse Education Fund; and in what year that funding was allocated.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Education: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Anne Milton: There are no civil servants in the Department for Education who have been provided with an official car or a driver.

Children: Social Services

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much has been spent from the public purse under section 17 of the Children’s Act 1989 by public bodies in 2017-2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: Local authorities are not required to provide specific data regarding spend on children provided with support under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. However, the Department for Education collects data on local authority spend on a range of services for children and young people. The data table below shows local authority gross spend that may be on children in need but may also provide services to children not assessed as needing support under section 17. The data is for 2016-17. Data on local authority spend on children and young people services in 2017-18 will be published in autumn 2018.  2016-17 (£000’s)Child Protection and Safeguarding£2,334,268Children’s Centres and Other Spend on Children Under 5£774,349Family Support£1,087,140Other Children and Families Services£87,175Services for Young People£447,532 Source: Section 251 Outturn

Schools: Expenditure

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which (a) schools and (b) colleges received funding from the £520 million allocated by his Department to disadvantaged students aged 16-19 years old; and how much of that funding was spend by each institution.

Anne Milton: The Education and Skills Funding Agency publishes the 16 to 19-year olds funding allocations data for individual institutions annually. This includes the amount of disadvantage funding allocated to each institution. Further information on allocations is available at GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-allocations#published-allocations. The department does not collect data on how institutions spend the disadvantage portion of their allocations.

Pupils: Dyslexia

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative estimate he has made of the number of school children with dyslexia who were subject to (a) education, health and care plans and (b) statements under the previous SEN and learning difficulties assessments in each of the last five years.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative estimate he has made of the number of school children with autism who were subject to (a) education, health and care plans and (b) statements under the previous SEN and learning difficulties assessments in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: We publish the number and proportion of pupils with special educational needs (SEN), including the type of need in the annual ‘Special educational needs in England’ statistical release. This is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-special-educational-needs-sen. SEN pupils are recorded according to their primary type of need. The current types of need do not include a specific breakdown for autism alone. These cases are expected to be recorded under ‘Autistic Spectrum Disorder’. No estimates of the number of children with autism within this category have been made. The current types of need do not include a specific breakdown for dyslexia alone. These cases are expected to be recorded under ‘Specific Learning Difficulty’. No estimates of the number of children with dyslexia within this category have been made. The table below shows a breakdown of the number of pupils by each primary type of need available for the last five years (as at January each year). Statements of SEN (and EHC plans from 2015)20132014201520162017Specific Learning Difficulty10,48010,0459,6658,9388,390Moderate Learning Difficulty33,45532,41031,15529,65028,564Severe Learning Difficulty27,54028,33028,94029,00129,120Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulty9,7159,81010,0109,95510,010Behaviour, Emotional & Social Difficulties29,96030,035  Social, Emotional and Mental Health  28,13527,25928,007Speech, Language and Communications Needs29,56530,03530,88030,94232,292Hearing Impairment6,2856,1806,1005,9375,985Visual Impairment3,5403,4903,4503,3303,239Multi- Sensory Impairment525550610631686Physical Disability13,34513,08013,02512,87312,742Autistic Spectrum Disorder47,22549,97554,24557,21160,832Other Difficulty/Disability4,3954,5405,1505,2285,727SEN Support but no specialist assessment  285268359Total216,030218,475221,650221,223225,953Note: The figures provided have been rounded in line with their presentation in the statistics publication 'Special educational needs in England'. Figures are rounded to the nearest five for year 2013 to 2015. No rounding is applied for 2016 onwards.Source: School Census

Pupils: Autism

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what pathways his Department has established at schools for the identification of children with autism in schools.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department provides training for teachers to identify autism in primary school children.

Nadhim Zahawi: Due to the wide range of abilities of individual children and young people, we do not set a separate pathway for identification specific conditions such as autism. Instead, we require schools to assess a pupil’s needs as soon as they become aware that they are not achieving their potential. The pupil’s teacher and the school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) should involve other teachers and should include the views and experience of the pupil, their parents or carers and any relevant external supporting information. If they identify a need for special educational support, they must formally notify the parents or carers and agree what adjustments, interventions or support will be put in place in a support plan. The subject teacher then is responsible for implementing the plan on a daily basis. The school should review the impact and progress made by the planned date and provide further support as needed. This “Assess, Plan, Do, and Review” cycle is set out for schools in detail in paragraphs 6.36-6.56, in the statutory ‘Special educational needs and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years’ available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25. In terms of training for teachers to identify autism in primary schools, we have contracted with the Autism Education Trust to deliver training to staff in, early years schools (primary and secondary) and colleges. The 2018-2020 contract builds on previous contracts providing “whole school” autism training since 2012 for a wide range of staff and not just teachers. More than 150,000 staff have been trained to date. From July 2016 Initial Teacher Training includes specific special educational needs and disabilities content, including on autism.

Overseas Students

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of trends in the level of the UK's international ranking as a destination for higher education in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah: UNESCO statistics show that, in each of the last five years of available data (2011 to 2015), the UK was the second most popular study destination for oversea tertiary students, second only to the US. Numbers of international higher education students remain at record highs, with over 170,000 non-EU entrants to UK higher education institutions for the seventh year running. We welcome genuine international students who choose to come to the UK to study and there continues to be no limit on the number who can do so.

Knives: Crime

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of compulsory knife crime education and prevention in the Personal, Social, Health and Economic or Citizenship curriculum of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: We know how important it is that young people understand the dangers of knife crime. Schools can currently choose to include lessons on weapons awareness and gangs as part of their school curriculum. Through the Children and Social Work Act 2017, the Government is making the subjects of Relationships Education compulsory in primary schools, and Relationships and Sex Education compulsory in secondary schools. These subjects will help young people understand safe, respectful and positive relationships and appropriate ways of resolving conflict. The Act also provides a power for the Secretary of State to make Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education (or elements therein) mandatory in all schools. The Department recently conducted a wide-ranging engagement process, including a public call for evidence, on the scope of the subjects, and on the status of PSHE. Departmental officials are assessing the evidence gathered during the engagement process, to support decisions on subject content and on the status of PSHE. The Department plans to publish the results of the engagement process shortly, alongside a consultation on draft regulations and accompanying statutory guidance, before laying the regulations in the House for debate.

Sex and Relationship Education

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress the Government is making on engaging with stakeholders on the scope and content of Relationships and Sex Education; and if he will publish an (a) summary of evidence received and (b) list of those stakeholders.

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Government's engagement with stakeholders on the scope and content of Relationships and Sex Education, if he will publish a summary of the evidence received from stakeholder groups representing LGBT people.

Nick Gibb: The Department has conducted a thorough engagement process on the scope and content of Relationships Education and Relationships and Sex Education, and on the status of Personal, Social, Health and Economic education, involving a wide-range of interested stakeholders, including those representing the interests of LGBT groups such as Stonewall and Terrence Higgins Trust. The Department has also sought views on these subjects from parents, teachers, young people and other interested parties through a call for evidence, which closed on 12 February. The call for evidence attracted over 23,000 responses. The Department is currently considering the responses and will publish the outcome of the call for evidence and the engagement process in due course.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, further to the Answer of 9 May 2018 to Question 139972, on Disabled Students' Allowances, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of students in receipt of disabled students’ allowance who made a contribution to the cost of computer hardware in each academic year since 2015-16.

Mr Sam Gyimah: From 2015 to 2016, 23,400 students, of 58,900 full-time undergraduate students, were in receipt of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) equipment allowance. From 2016 to 2017, provisional figures suggest that 19,700 students, of 54,900 full-time undergraduate students, were in receipt of equipment allowance. This information is available from the Statistical First Release: https://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx The figures include all years of study of full-time students in receipt of equipment allowance. Only those who started study in 2015 to 2016 or later had to contribute to the cost of their equipment. The department does not hold data centrally on the number and proportion of students who have made a contribution to the cost of DSA-recommended equipment. It would incur disproportionate cost to obtain the requested information.

Children in Care: Academies

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children were refused a place at an academy school in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: Admission arrangements for individual schools are set and applied locally, as such, the Department does not hold information around the outcome of individual applications. We recognise that looked after children are amongst the most vulnerable in our society and, wherever possible, should be admitted to the school which is best able to meet their needs. That is why the School Admissions Code requires admission authorities of all schools, including academies, to give highest priority in their admissions criteria to looked-after children and previously looked after children. Where a school refuses to admit looked-after or previously looked after children, they can be directed to do so.

Overseas Students: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment the Government made of the contribution of international students studying in North East Universities to that region's (a) GDP and (b) levels of unemployment.

Mr Sam Gyimah: In February 2018, the government published ‘UK revenue from education related exports and transnational education activity 2015’. This estimated that international students at UK universities contributed £9.7 billion to the UK economy through tuition fees and living expenditure in 2015. The government does not, however, have an estimate of the regional contribution of international students on GDP and levels of unemployment.

Numeracy

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of working age adults with poor numeracy skills.

Anne Milton: This government recognises the importance of mathematics skills, both in work and everyday life. We provide full funding for adults who need these skills to undertake a range of courses including GCSEs, Functional Skills and stepping stone qualifications up to level 2. Through the Flexible Learning Fund, we are investing over £11 million in a range of projects to design and test flexible and accessible ways of delivering learning to adults with low or intermediate skills. These projects include increasing the mathematics skills and confidence of adults already in work through online and blended learning techniques. We also fund Unionlearn to deliver projects develop the learning capacity, and skill and qualification amongst the workforce, with a particular focus on difficult to engage workers with low skills. We are reforming English and mathematics Functional Skills qualifications, which are accessed primarily by adults. This will make sure these qualifications are more rigorous and better recognised by employers.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Gareth Thomas: How many schools will not receive a cash terms increase in their budget per pupil in 2018-19.

Sandy Martin: How many schools will not receive a cash terms increase in their budget per pupil in 2018-19.

Nick Gibb: The Department are spending record sums on school funding, rising from £41 billion to £42.4 billion this year and £43.5 billion next year. The national funding formula (NFF) gives every local authority more money for every pupil in every school in 2018-19 and 2019-20. To help in transition to the NFF, local authorities have flexibility on how this funding is distributed in their local area.

Apprentices

Eddie Hughes: What steps his Department is taking to promote apprenticeships.

Anne Milton: The best promoters of apprenticeships are apprentices themselves and young apprentice ambassadors network play an important role is this. I would also like to commend the work of Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network who’s work makes sure that we reach the widest possible number of people.The National Apprenticeship Service promotes apprenticeships by working with schools and works with the largest levy-paying employers to help them grow their programme. We have a number of campaigns including Get in Go far, targeting specific sectors and telemarketing.

Young People: Employment

Priti Patel: What steps his Department is taking to support more pathways from education into employment for young people.

Anne Milton: We are developing 15 prestigious technical routes to set a clear pathway through apprenticeships and new flagship T levels to skilled employment for young people.We are working with employers to design the content for T levels, which will provide in future a distinctive and rigorous technical alternative to A levels.But apprenticeships must be of high quality. I am pleased that the move from the old frameworks to the new standards has seen the proportion of these apprenticeships in the number of all starts grow from 3% to 36% since last year.Traineeships for those most distant from the labour market are yielding good results. With two thirds progessing to positive destinations and reporting high levels of satifaction (82%). With 84% saying it helped them gain the skills they need.

Schools: Labour Turnover

Christian Matheson: What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of the public sector pay cap on the level of recruitment and retention of staff in schools.

Nick Gibb: The government’s position is clear; the public sector pay cap is no longer in place and we have adopted a more flexible approach to public sector pay. We have asked the School Teachers’ Review Body to use this flexibility to target the next pay award to promote recruitment and retention.

Teachers: Bureaucracy

Luke Hall: What steps he has taken to reduce teacher workload.

Nick Gibb: The Workload Challenge identified three key areas driving excess workload: dialogic marking policies; excessive data collection; and lesson planning approaches.We have taken steps to address each of these, as well as making a commitment for stability in assessment, qualifications and curriculum reform. This gives our education reforms - that are rasing standards in our schools - time to bed in.

Ministry of Justice

Registered Intermediaries

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of intermediaries were used for (a) witnesses, (b) victims and (c) defendants in the latest year for which information is available.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the Witness Intermediary Scheme and does not hold data on the broader use of non-registered intermediaries, many of whom help defendants. Registered Intermediaries employed by the Witness Intermediary Scheme supported 6,245 people last year: 92% of whom were victims; 8% of whom were witnesses.

Prisoner Escapes

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) absconds and (b) escapes from prison occurred in each month of the most recent year for which information is available.

Rory Stewart: Apr-16May-16Jun-16Jul-16Aug-16Sep-16Oct-16Nov-16Dec-16Jan-17Feb-17Mar-17Absconds7967867137772Escapes010000120000 These figures have been drawn from the HMPPS (formerly NOMS) Incident Reporting System. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Public protection is our top priority and we take escapes and absconds from custody extremely seriously. Less than two per cent of offenders in open prison abscond, and the overall number of absconds has halved since 2011/12. Those who do abscond are returned to closed prisons where they may have to serve additional time.

Prisoner Escapes

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders serving a sentence for murder (a) absconded and (b) escaped in the last year for which data is available; and what the circumstances were in which each of those offenders absconded or escaped.

Rory Stewart: In 2016/17 there were 4 absconds and 2 escapes of offenders serving a sentence for murder. For the two offenders who escaped, the circumstances involved escape from hospital escort. These figures have been drawn from the HMPPS (formerly NOMS) Incident Reporting System. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Public protection is our top priority and we take escapes and absconds from custody extremely seriously. Escapes are extremely rare and escaped prisoners recaptured by police face prosecution and on return to prison their categorisation is reviewed. Less than two per cent of offenders abscond from open prison, and the overall number of absconds has halved since 2011/12. But whilst absconds are rare, we are not complacent and carefully risk assess all offenders before they move to open prisons. Those who do abscond are returned to closed prisons where they may have to serve additional time.

Open Prisons

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners in open prisons as of 1 May 2018 have previously (a) absconded or failed to return to prison or (b) breached the conditions of their temporary licence.

Rory Stewart: On 31 March 2018 there were 5,092 prisoners recorded as being in open prisons. Three (0.06%) of those prisoners were recorded as having absconded between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2017, and 75 (1.47%) were recorded as having breached the conditions of their temporary release licence (including failure to return) between 1 April 2010 and 31 December 2017. Data on escapes and absconds, prior to 1 April 2010 could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost due to changes in recording practice. Statistics on prison population, absconds and temporary release failures are published at different frequencies, and therefore data for each are available for different time periods. In answering this question, we have provided the latest published information in each area

Reoffenders: West Yorkshire

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) offences in West Yorkshire were committed by offenders on bail and (b) offenders in West Yorkshire committed offences while on bail during the most recent year for which information is available.

Rory Stewart: The most recent year for which information is available is 2016.The attached table provides information on (a) the total number of offences for which offenders were convicted or cautioned while on bail by the West Yorkshire police force and (b) the total number of offenders convicted or cautioned while on bail by the West Yorkshire police force.This data may indicate that from 2012 to 2016 there was a decrease in the numbers of offences committed by offenders on bail in West Yorkshire.



Table PQ 140681
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.04 KB)

Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders had (a) between 15 and 49, (b) between 50 and 99 and (c) 100 or more convictions in each of the last three years.

Rory Stewart: The number of offenders with (a) between 15 and 49, (b) between 50 and 99 and (c) 100 or more convictions in 2014 to 2016 can be viewed in the table.



table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.05 KB)

Pre-sentence Reports

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost to the public purse has been of preparing a (a) full pre-sentence report and (b) fast delivery report in magistrates' courts which includes the time spent by probation staff in court whilst the report is being delivered and considered in the last twelve months for which data are available.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of the production of pre-sentence reports for courts in each of the last three years.

Rory Stewart: Information is available on the direct staff costs of preparing a pre-sentence report, based on the average time in which it is expected that reports will be completed. These costs include the time spent by the officer in court to deliver the report. The average assumed cost of each type of report is shown in the following table: Report typeAssumed average cost per report (£)Standard-Delivery Report270Short-Format Report110Oral Report60 Information is also available on the annual volume of pre-sentence reports delivered in courts across England and Wales in 2015-16 and 2016-17. Full-year figures for 2017-18 are not yet available. The following table shows annual volumes of pre-sentence reports ordered by the courts for 2015-16 and 2016-17, together with estimated total costs. These estimates are based on the average cost figures given above and the planning assumption that 60 per cent of all reports should be delivered as oral reports, 30 per cent as short-format reports and 10 per cent as standard-delivery reports. Data PeriodTotal number of pre-sentence reports (000s)Assumed Costs (£m)  1 Apr 2015 – 31 Mar 2016160.420.91 Apr 2016 – 31 Mar 2017136.716.1

Homicide: Reoffenders

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been murdered since 2012 by people who were previously convicted of murder and then released having served their prison sentences.

Rory Stewart: Serious further offences are very rare (less than 0.5% of offenders under statutory supervision commit serious further offences) and each one is taken extremely seriously and investigated fully, in order to identify any lessons for the better management of future cases. Of course, murder is the most serious of all offences, and between 2012 and the end of 2017, 7 people have been murdered by people who were previously convicted of murder and then released by the Parole Board on licence, having served the minimum custodial term of their prison sentence.

Ministry of Justice: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many leak enquiries his Department has undertaken in the last two years.

Dr Phillip Lee: The leak of any Government information or material is not acceptable and the Government takes such incidents very seriously. It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on security matters other than in exceptional circumstances when it is in the public interest to do so.

Ministry of Justice: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Dr Phillip Lee: Information on non-disclosure agreements in the MoJ is not held centrally as there is no business requirement to do so.

Family Proceedings

James Frith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the extent to which family court judges are identifying families who have not attended a mediation information and assessment meeting prior to coming to court as part of the post-implementation review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (2012).

Lucy Frazer: The Government is currently undertaking a post-implementation review of the impact of the legal aid changes made under the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. An assessment of the impact of recent changes to the provision of legal aid for mediation and private family law cases will be made as part of the review process.

Young Offender Institutions

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many children in young offender institutions were locked in their cells for (a) 22 hours a day and (b) more than 22 hours a day in each of the last 5 years.

Dr Phillip Lee: The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is one of our highest priorities and is fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system. We are committed to reforming youth custody so that it is safer for both young people and staff, as well as being better equipped to help young people turn their lives around. There are some occasions when young people in custody are putting themselves or others at risk, during which segregation can be used as a last resort for limited periods of time when no other form of intervention is suitable. Any decision to remove a young person from association is subject to regular review and a range of safeguarding measures are in place to ensure appropriate oversight of their care. There are careful limits placed on the length of time for which young people can be removed from association without review of the decision to remove.   Please see the number of hours of segregation that young people have been placed on, broken down via each Young Offender Institute (YOI) within each of the past five years. Please note that the data collected below is classified by the number of hours young people in total have been on segregation in each current YOI establishment. We do not have a breakdown via the number of young people that have been in segregation and nor the number of hours spent per segregation.  No. of Hours young people in 'Segregation' forEstablishment201320142015201620172018Sub-totalHMYOI Cookham Wood744200923922000257671010431HMYOI Feltham223212291286113912742797439HMYIO ParcN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AHMYOI Werrington100311851732204517652838013HMYOI Wetherby157814001592158913942637816Sub-Total2581258533243634315954615829NotesThis is unpublished data that is not in the public domain.2018 figures only apply to the months from January to March 2018.We have not included data for HMYOI Ashfield, HMYOI Hindley and HMYOI Warren Hill. These establishments also held young people at times during the period requested but were all decommissioned.The data from HMYOI Parc is not comparable as it relates to single separation data – not time on segregation.This data includes some 18 year olds who remain in the under 18 secure estate.These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and can be subject to change over time.

Young Offender Institutions

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which young offender institutions have facilities for children to eat their meals communally.

Dr Phillip Lee: There are five Young Offender Institutes in the country:HMYOI Cookham Wood in Kent;HMYOI Feltham in Middlesex;HMYOI Parc in Bridgend;HMYOI Werrington in StokeHMYOI Wetherby in Yorkshire Each establishment has a communal dining room where young people can eat their meals together.

Ministry of Justice: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Dr Phillip Lee: No civil servants in the Ministry of Justice are provided with an official car or driver. Civil servants may on occasion travel in an official vehicle as part of a specific duty, for example, accompanying Ministers on Ministerial visits.

Legal Aid Scheme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will ensure that the review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 includes a cross-departmental analysis of the overlapping personal, social and economic effects of that Act on people who were previously entitled to legal aid.

Lucy Frazer: The Secretary of State has confirmed that we will conduct an evidence based review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (2012). The evidence gathering phase has commenced and will involve consulting other government departments. We will publish our findings later this year.

Personal Independence Payment: Wallasey

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average time for a personal independence payment tribunal case (a) hearing and (b) judgement to be delivered after a hearing in Wallasey constituency was in each of the last four years.

Lucy Frazer: This information is not held centrally. Wherever possible, the Tribunal gives its decision on the day.

Employment and Support Allowance: Wallasey

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time for employment and support allowance tribunals in the Wallasey constituency was in each of the last four years.

Lucy Frazer: The information requested is set out in the table below: PeriodAverage waiting time1 (in weeks) for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)2 tribunals in the Wallasey3 constituency2014/154202015/164132016/17415April – December 20175 (the latest period for which data are available)16 Clearance times may be dependent on several factors, such as hearing capacity at the venue closest to the appellant, or the local availability of Tribunal panel members. (Depending on the issue in dispute, some ESA hearings may require the presence of a doctor as well as a Tribunal judge). Other factors might include the availability of the appellant or their representative, or the provision of further evidence. 1 Waiting time is interpreted as the average clearance time – time taken for appeal receipt in HMCTS to outcome. The data are based on cases cleared at Tribunal hearing (both oral and paper) and exclude those cleared without the need for a Tribunal hearing.2 Includes ESA and ESA (reassessments)3 SSCS data are recorded by the office which dealt with the case, and if the case went to oral hearing, the location of the Tribunal hearing, normally the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. HMCTS cannot retrieve data based on constituencies, but can produce reports detailing the numbers of cases that were heard at a specific venue. For the Wallasey constituency, this is the Birkenhead venue.4 Financial year April – March5 Data are provisionalAlthough care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available.

Prisoners: Mental Illness

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Departments plans to review the support provided for prisoners who have a mental health diagnosis.

Dr Phillip Lee: Health services in public prisons in England, including mental health support, are commissioned and reviewed by NHS England, whereas health is devolved in Wales to the Welsh Government. However, as signatories to the National Partnership Agreement for Prison Healthcare 2018-2021, the Department works closely with health partners to support the delivery of healthcare by ensuring prisoners are able to access these services. We regularly review our work in this critical area to ensure it is delivering the best outcomes for some of our most vulnerable prisoners.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable for the post-implementation review the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 is.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is currently undertaking a post-implementation review of the impact of the legal aid changes made by and under LASPO and remains committed to publishing the findings by the end of this year.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 will include an evaluation of its effect on people with (a) mental health problems and (b) other disabilities.

Lucy Frazer: The evidence based review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) has now commenced and the evidence gathering phase is ongoing. The review will consider how LASPO has targeted legal aid at those who need it most – one of the objectives set out during the passage of the Act. Alongside the review, the Government plans to use this opportunity of engagement with stakeholders to inform its wider consideration on the future of legal support in the justice system.

Tribunals

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the consultation entitled Proposal to amend the Tribunal Procedure (First-Tier Tribunal) (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) Rules 2008, published by the Tribunal Procedure Committee in March 2018, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that consultation is accessible for people in need of additional support to communicate and express their views.

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the consultation entitled Proposal to amend the Tribunal Procedure (First-Tier Tribunal) (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) Rules 2008, published by the Tribunal Procedure Committee in March 2018, whether an impact assessment has been undertaken of the proposal to give First-Tier (Mental Health) Tribunals the power to take decisions without an oral hearing where a patient has been automatically referred to a Tribunal.

Lucy Frazer: The Tribunal Procedure Committee’s consultation is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposal-to-amend-the-tribunal-procedure-first-tier-tribunal-health-education-and-social-care-chamber-rules-2008When it was published, the consultation was sent to key mental health organisations including MIND, Rethink, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Mental Health Foundation and Mental Health UK so they could consider the proposals and reflect the experience of those with experience of mental health problems.The Ministry of Justice has not carried out an Impact Assessment but awaits the outcome of the Committee’s consultation. If the Committee decides to make any changes to the rules, the Lord Chancellor will consider the potential impact of those changes before deciding whether to allow the proposed changes to be implemented.

Criminal Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number criminal law barristers who will be be affected by the proposed change to legal aid funding in (a) Birmingham and (b) England.

Lucy Frazer: We greatly value the work of criminal advocates which is why we worked closely with the Criminal Bar Association and others when designing the new Advocates Graduated Fees Scheme that was introduced in April.In 2016-17, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) made payments to 3,715 self-employed advocates with LAA account numbers registered in England and Wales, 242 of which were based in Birmingham. This is based on 2016-17 closed case bills from the LAA’s January-March 2016-17 statistics publication:- https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-january-to-march-2017

Mental Capacity Act 2005

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government plans to publish its review of section 44 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Dr Phillip Lee: The Ministry of Justice has considered the issues raised by the House of Lords Select Committee on the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and plans to publish a report on the use of section 44 by the end of this year.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many leak enquiries his Department has undertaken in the last two years.

Greg Hands: It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on security matters other than in exceptional circumstances when it is in the public interest to do so. The leak of any Government information or material is not acceptable and the Government takes such incidents very seriously.

Department for International Trade: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade contracts of employment do not include an official car and driver for UK posts.

Legatum Institute

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May to Question 139377, on the Legatum Institute, for what reasons he did not indicate in that answer whether (a) notes and (b) documentation pertaining to those meetings were (i) produced and (ii) circulated to (A) Ministers and (B) officials in his Department; and whether the Legatum Institute made any proposals on departmental or Government policy at those meetings.

Greg Hands: I refer the Hon Member to my previous answer of 3 May 2018, UIN 139377. Details of these meetings are published on the Gov.UK website and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-international-trade&publication_type=transparency-data

Iran: Standard Individual Export Licences

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many applications for licences to export goods to Iran have been received by the Export Control Organisation since the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on 16 January 2016.

Graham Stuart: The Export Control Joint Unit has received 1,615 licence applications for Iran since 16th January 2016. Of these, 173 applications were granted a licence and 85 applications were either refused or rejected. The majority of all other applications either did not require a licence as the goods were not subject to export controls or they were stopped or withdrawn before a final outcome could be reached.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the UK Export Finance (a) cover for companies operating in Iran and (b) memorandum of understanding with the Iranian Export Guarantee Fund will continue unaffected following the withdrawal of the US from the Iran nuclear deal.

Graham Stuart: The UK Government is committed to the full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and continues fully to support expanding our trade relationship with Iran. UK Export Finance support for British exports to Iran is unchanged and remains available on a case-by-case basis.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many leak enquiries his Department has undertaken in the last two years.

Jake Berry: My Department takes the view that any leak of Government information is a serious matter and, along with the rest of Government, takes such incidents very seriously. We do not comment on individual security matters other than in exceptional circumstances when it is in the public interest to do so.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jake Berry: There are no figures available in respect of how many non-disclosure agreements MHCLG has signed with employees in the last five years.

Construction: Standards

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2018 to Question 136573 on Construction: Standards, what steps he is taking with his EU counterparts to ensure that the UK's design and civil engineering standards are maintained after the UK leaves the EU.

Dominic Raab: The Government has set out that the UK is seeking the broadest and deepest possible future agreement with the EU, and that as part of that the UK will need to make a strong commitment that its regulatory standards will remain as high as the EU’s. We are making real progress in our negotiations, including agreeing the terms of an implementation period that will give Governments, businesses and citizens on both sides the time they need to prepare for our new relationship.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2018 to Question 136575 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit,  what definition his Department uses for additional flexibility in relation to retaining income at future Budgets.

Jake Berry: HM Treasury’s Consolidated Budgeting Guidance applies to all departments. The budgeting system tries to ensure that departments have good incentives to manage their business well, to prioritise across programmes, and to obtain value for money. There are rules allowing departments to offset certain income against budgets. Only some of the income that comes to a department benefits budgets and this is forecast at the start of each Spending Review. The main categories of MHCLG income are income from rent of buildings, sales of services and fees and interest on loans.MHCLG agreed additional flexibility to retain income that was above our forecast at the start of the Spending Review at Autumn Budget.

Rented Housing: Deposits

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the potential cost to landlords of the introduction of a cap of four week's rent on deposits.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The impact of capping tenancy deposits was considered in the Impact Assessment for the Tenant Fees Bill, which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tenant-fees-bill-impact-assessment.Evidence from the English Housing Survey (2014/15) suggests that a cap of four weeks’ or one months’ rent would result in approximately 38 per cent of deposits being reduced. Landlords and agents raised concerns that a cap of four weeks’ rent may result in a behavioural change, encouraging tenants to forgo their final month’s rent payment and leave landlords with less flexibility to accept riskier tenants such as those with pets. It may result in an increased cost to landlords when their claim for damages or unpaid rent at the end of the tenancy is not fully covered by the deposit taken. Whilst it is difficult to assess these impacts, we rejected a cap of four weeks' or one months’ rent on that basis and have proposed to cap deposits at six weeks’ rent.Analysis suggests that a cap of six weeks’ rent will result in around 14 per cent of deposits being reduced, which is estimated to result in an annual loss to landlords of £1.3 million. This loss would, on average, start four years after the introduction of a deposit cap once tenancies that benefited from it end.The Regulatory Policy Committee (RPC) have verified the Impact Assessment and given a green rating. The RPC’s report is available here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tenant-fees-bill-rpc-opinion

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2018 to Question 137440 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Procurement, if he will publish all invitations to tender issued by his Department that received no bidders.

Jake Berry: Holding answer received on 09 May 2018



This information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Jake Berry: There are no records of learning events delivered or undertaken by civil servants within the Department related specifically to understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament. We encourage staff to access learning materials available through Civil Service Learning.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver; and how many civils servants are so provided for.

Jake Berry: No Civil Servants in the Department have been provided with an official car or driver.

Land Use

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the (a) nature and (b) cause of the technical issue relating to the extraction of the underlying data was which caused the delay of the publication of Land Use Change statistics 2016 to 2017 from 24 January 2018 to 31 May 2018.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Building Regulations and Fire Safety Independent Review

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to report on progress in implementing the recommendations of the Hackitt Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Owner Occupation: Ethnic Groups

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to promote home ownership among BAME communities.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government has made clear that this should be a country that works for everyone, ensuring the housing market works for all parts of our community. The recent race disparity audit has shown only 41 per cent of ethnic minority households are homeowners, compared to 68 per cent of White British households. We are undertaking further research to understand the underlying issues and work to provide solutions to help increase homeownership among BAME communities.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry Of Defence: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: All civil servants have access to the central learning offer provided through Civil Service Learning. There are one-day workshops on Understanding Parliament, which are delivered at Foundation (introduction) and Practitioner (advanced) levels. Both workshops cover Parliament’s scrutiny and legislative roles. Dedicated training sessions covering specific topics are also available. These include Introduction to Parliament, Select Committees, Debates and Voting, Pre and Post Legislative Scrutiny, Parliamentary Questions, Delegated Legislation, and Primary Legislation. A half-day workshop is available on producing effective explanatory memoranda to accompany secondary legislation. The Cabinet Office’s Parliamentary Business and Legislation Team provide training to Bill Teams. The Government Legal Department and Parliamentary Counsel run a course on Dealing with Parliamentary Bills for Lawyers, which covers Parliamentary stages and handling. Stand-alone events are also run, for example during Parliament Week. Bespoke sessions for Government Departments are available on request. It is well established that people need just-in-time training and resources to help them while on the job, so Civil Service Learning provides on-line resources, such as weblinks, guides and videos. There is an e-learning course on Understanding Parliament, and access to two ‘Massive Open On-Line Courses’ (on Understanding Parliament and Select Committees) which have been produced in partnership between the House of Commons and Future Learn, a digital education platform owned by the Open University. Fast StreamFast Stream civil servants receive a Parliament workshop during their induction, covering the role of Parliament in scrutinising Government policy. For Policy Professionals, a Fast Stream Base Camp includes an optional workshop which focuses on the legislative process in both Houses, typical timetables and roles of Ministers, Bill Teams and civil servants in delivering legislation. Senior Civil ServantsFor Senior Civil Servants (SCS), a tailored a one-day workshop, ‘Leading in Parliament’, is available, which covers Parliament’s role, powers and relationship with Government, the day-to day work of MPs and Peers. A workshop delivered jointly between Civil Service Learning and HM Treasury is provided for Accounting Officers. Civil Service Learning provides a workshop specifically for Senior Responsible Officers with responsibility for secondary legislation. Every Department has an SCS Parliamentary Champion. There is also a buddy system in place between Parliamentary Champions and senior House staff. Information on the number of courses which have taken place and of Ministry of Defence civil servants who have participated in each training opportunity is not held by the Department.

Ministry of Defence: Incentives

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each of the last six years; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: As part of the Government's transparency agenda, Departments publish annual information on the number of awards and spend on end-year and in-year non- consolidated performance-related pay. Information for the Ministry of Defence can be found at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mod-non-consolidated-performance-related-pay.

Armed Forces Pay Review Body

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Armed Forces Pay Review Body on the planned date for the publication of its annual Report.

Mark Lancaster: The Government has regular discussions with pay review bodies, on a range of issues regarding their remits.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when clearance of invasive non-native acacia trees will recommence on the Sovereign Base Area in Cyprus.

Mark Lancaster: Clearance of invasive acacia trees in the Special Areas of Conservation within the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) in Cyprus has not been suspended. Since November 2014 approximately 120 acres of acacia has been removed, of which 25 acres were cleared since October 2017. Decisions on the specific sites where acacia is to be removed are subject to assessments on safety and security. The SBA Administration has also continued with a programme to remove irrigation equipment associated with acacia trees. To-date, 70 kilometres of irrigation piping within the Pyla Range area in the Dhekelia SBA has been removed, which has resulted in significant die-back of acacia trees. This irrigation removal program will continue throughout 2018.

Department for Work and Pensions

Offshore Industry: Air Pollution

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many hydrocarbon releases from oil and gas installations on the UK continental shelf were recorded by the Health and Safety Executive in each year from 2000 to 2017.

Sarah Newton: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 10 May 2018.The correct answer should have been:

The Health and Safety Executive has recorded the following hydrocarbon releases (HCRs) by year: 2000 2642001 2512002 2422003 2422004 2732005 2242006 1902007 1852008 1472009 1792010 1862011 1422012 1052013 1182014 942015 932016 101(p)2017 103(p) Final figures for 2016 will be confirmed and published with the provisional figures for 2017 as part of the Health and Safety Executive’s annual Offshore Statistics & Regulatory Activity Report, due to be published in July. Releases are categorised as “major”, “significant” and “minor”, depending on the potential consequences of the event, which is usually directly linked to the total quantity or rate of release.Overall reported hydrocarbon releases have approximately halved since 2010. The reporting process presents an opportunity for both the regulator and the industry to investigate and identify underlying causes and learn lessons. Although the offshore industry has seen the overall downward trend as an indicator of improved performance, HSE remains concerned that every release represents a deficiency in an operator’s process safety management, and an increased risk of harm to workers. There have also been a small number of large releases every year which could have resulted in a major accident. Consequently, the Director of HSE’s Energy Division wrote recently to challenge the offshore industry to identify and address any weaknesses in its leadership and safety culture, as well as its arrangements for safety system audits, which have allowed such releases to occur (see attachment entitled Letter from the Director, HSE Energy Division to the Oil and Gas Industry on Hydrocarbon Releases).



Letter from HSE Director
(Word Document, 113 KB)

Sarah Newton: The Health and Safety Executive has recorded the following hydrocarbon releases (HCRs) by year: 2000 2642001 2512002 2422003 2422004 2732005 2242006 1902007 1852008 1472009 1792010 1862011 1422012 1052013 1182014 942015 932016 101(p)2017 103(p) Final figures for 2016 will be confirmed and published with the provisional figures for 2017 as part of the Health and Safety Executive’s annual Offshore Statistics & Regulatory Activity Report, due to be published in July. Releases are categorised as “major”, “significant” and “minor”, depending on the potential consequences of the event, which is usually directly linked to the total quantity or rate of release.Overall reported hydrocarbon releases have approximately halved since 2010. The reporting process presents an opportunity for both the regulator and the industry to investigate and identify underlying causes and learn lessons. Although the offshore industry has seen the overall downward trend as an indicator of improved performance, HSE remains concerned that every release represents a deficiency in an operator’s process safety management, and an increased risk of harm to workers. There have also been a small number of large releases every year which could have resulted in a major accident. Consequently, the Director of HSE’s Energy Division wrote recently to challenge the offshore industry to identify and address any weaknesses in its leadership and safety culture, as well as its arrangements for safety system audits, which have allowed such releases to occur (see attachment entitled Letter from the Director, HSE Energy Division to the Oil and Gas Industry on Hydrocarbon Releases).



Letter from HSE Director
(Word Document, 113 KB)

Social Security Benefits: Dyspraxia

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job seekers diagnosed with (a) dyspraxia and (b) other neurodivergent conditions have been sanctioned for failure to submit (i) paperwork or (ii) online documentation in each of the last five years.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobseekers who have been diagnosed with hearing impairments have been sanctioned for failing to submit (a) paperwork and (b) online documentation to support claims for benefits in each of the last five years.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job seekers with visual impairments have been sanctioned for failure to submit (a) paperwork and (b) online documentation in each of the last five years.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job seekers diagnosed with dyslexia have been sanctioned for failure to submit (a) paperwork and (b) online documentation in each of the last five years.

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job seekers diagnosed with autism have been sanctioned for failure to submit (a) paperwork and (b) online documentation in each of the last five years.

Alok Sharma: Sanctions are only used in a minority of cases and when people fail to meet their conditionality requirements without good reason. When considering whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities and any evidence they provide, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted. Claimants can send paperwork and online documentation to be considered as part of this process but not submitting this is not, in itself, a reason for a sanction. The Department publishes quarterly statistics on Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s Allowance sanctions, including a breakdown by sanction referral reason, as part of the Benefit Sanction Statistics publication, which can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/jobseekers-allowance-sanctions The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people claiming universal credit in Easington constituency have been reclassified at the mandatory reconsideration stage from being from fit to work to having limited capability to work in each month since the full roll out of universal credit in October 2017.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available.

Department for Work and Pensions: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training her Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: In line with the Cabinet Office led work to improve devolution capability across Whitehall, the DWP devolution team provide a programme of awareness sessions to help all staff understand the devolution landscape. This includes promoting the tools and training available as part of the cross-Government Devolution and You programme. Since April 2017, the DWP devolution team have delivered some 40 sessions, attended by over 1200 staff across the department. Details of the central training offer that is available to Departments through Civil Service Learning, the Policy Profession and the UK Governance and Devolution team in the Cabinet Office are as follows: All Civil Servants (a) Civil Service Learning provide a range of central learning opportunities, including online and face-to-face training, for all civil servants on Devolution & Intergovernmental Working. i) The online Devolution & Intergovernmental Working module is for all new and existing civil servants, launched in November 2016. Through four online tutorials, video interviews with senior civil servants, and ‘take back to the office’ activities, it explains how the different governments operating in the UK work together, covering devolution settlements, decentralisation, City Deals and intergovernmental relations, as well as the ‘Devolution Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements’. 646 civil servants have engaged with the online training since it’s release:  StartedCompletedTotal Engagements2018673464132017531712242016279Total122524646 ii) The half day face-to-face Devolution & Intergovernmental Working workshop is also available to all civil servants. Building on the above online module, delegates learn from experienced professionals who have worked on a range of devolution matters about topics such as confidentiality, when to seek legal advice and the boundaries of devolution, where reserved and devolved powers meet. A total of 28 policy professionals have undertaken this training through two workshops, since June 2017. Both the online and face-to-face workshops are included in the recommended learning for all civil servants working in a role related to EU exit. The online learning is included in the new EU Essentials for Policy Professionals programme, for those new to policy making or the civil service; and the face-to-face workshop is included in the EU Policy Practitioner Programme for those with more policy experience. These programmes were launched in April 2018, with a total of 56 policy professionals undertaking the training programmes so far. iii) Also available to civil servants are the EU exit: devolution settlements and intergovernmental working events. Delegates hear the views of Permanent Secretaries, and other senior civil servants from the devolved administrations and territorial offices, on intergovernmental relations within the current political climate.Seven of these events have been delivered to 96 attendees across three Departments, since March 2017. Fast Stream (b) Introduced in 2017 as part of Fast Stream policy learning, delegates take part in a Devolution workshop, which all brand new entrant centrally managed Fast Streamers attend as part of their Induction offer. This was delivered in 2017 to over 800 Fast Streamers. We've also delivered four optional Devolution workshops as part of Fast Stream Policy Base Camp to 150 year 3/4 centrally managed Fast Streamers over the last two years. Fast Streamers are also required to complete the online 'Devolution and Intergovernmental Working' e-learning product as mandatory e-learning within their first year on the Fast Stream programme. SCS (c) Each nation of the UK leads and hosts an annual SCS conference to learn from each other and build networks across the Policy Profession. These have been held on 28/29 April 2016 in Cardiff, 20/21 April 2017 in Belfast (this included Irish Government Civil Servants too) and 26/27 April 2018 in Edinburgh. It will be for England to host in 2019. All of these events each have around 100 participants across the administrations. The Devolution and You program Devolution and You was established in 2015 following a Civil Service Board commission and promotes greater understanding of devolution among civil servants and for better intergovernmental working across the different administrations in the UK. The program is led by Cabinet Office in partnership with the Scottish and Welsh Governments. It aims to build devolution awareness and civil servant networks across the One Civil Service through shared learning and knowledge exchange throughout the year. The Devolution and You programme enables civil servants to strengthen their skill sets and build open and positive relationships as they engage in complex discussions across the One Civil Service. In 2017 the program trained over 2000 civil servants from across the UK through a variety of forums, including Civil Service Learning resources and through bespoke training;• Local inductions for new starters• Departmental masterclasses, including tailored sessions for specialised teams such as communications, private office, policy and legislation• Civil Service Live presentations• Civil Service Local Devolution Masterclasses• Resource material available to civil servants across the One Civil Service We also work in partnership with the Scottish and Welsh Governments to run the One Civil Service Interchange program which supports these objectives by providing a platform on which civil servants can engage directly with their peers working in other UK administrations, through an immersive programme of work-shadowing and educational events over the course of a week. The programme runs three times a year, with the UK, Welsh, and Scottish Governments each hosting an annual event. Since 2017, the Northern Ireland Civil Service has also participated in the programme by providing participants to the events. The most recent iteration of the UK Government Interchange Week ran 5-9 March 2018 and, with a record number of applications, it was the largest Interchange Week to date. In total, 83 Civil Servants from the Scottish (43) and Welsh (18) Governments and the Northern Ireland Executive (22) participated in a series of whole-group sessions and individual work shadowing across nineteen UK Government departments. Welsh Government Interchange week will take place 2-6 July 2018.

Employment: Harassment

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118660 on Employment: Treaties, if he will publish its publish its response to the International Labour Organization’s Questionnaire.

Alok Sharma: The Government response to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) questionnaire on ‘Ending Violence and Harassment for Women and Men at Work’ has been reflected in the ILO report on the consultation which is available on the ILO website. The Government fully supports the ILO initiative and is engaged in discussions in the ILO on the scope and content of any new resulting instrument.

Employment: Harassment

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government discussed the potential ILO Convention on ending violence and harassment in the world of work at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Alok Sharma: As part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) this year, the Commonwealth Women’s Forum released an outcome statement calling on business leaders to support the proposed ILO convention on ‘Ending Violence and Harassment against Women and Men in the World of Work’.

International Labour Organisation: Conferences

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who is a part of the Government’s planned official delegation to the International Labour Conference from 28 May to 6 June 2018.

Alok Sharma: The Government will be sending a delegation comprising of officials from a number of Government departments to the International Labour Conference.

Employment: Harassment

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions the Government has had with other states on their support for a legally-binding ILO Convention on ending violence and harassment in the world of work.

Alok Sharma: The Government is fully engaged in discussions in the ILO on the scope and content of any new instrument and as part of that is in regular contact with other states on the issue.

Universal Credit

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2018 to Question 139040, on universal credit, on what dates this Utility Company Debt Group has met; who was present at each meeting of that group; and if she will place minutes of those meetings in the Library.

Alok Sharma: DWP has attended meetings with the Utility Company Debt Group on the following dates:9 March 20169 June 20168 September 201615 June 20177 September 20178 March 2018These meetings are chaired by Energy UK, and we do not have permission to place these minutes in the Library.

Universal Credit

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2018 to Question 139040, on universal credit, what improvements are planned to the service her Department provides for utility companies.

Alok Sharma: As part of our test and learn approach, we continue to improve the service we offer utility companies. An example of this is the Universal Credit Guide for Utility Companies developed with the Utility Company Debt Group and shared with them. The guide helps utility company staff to better understand Universal Credit and its benefits.

Department for Work and Pensions: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the job titles are of civil servants in her Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Kit Malthouse: No civil servants within the Department are provided with an official car and driver.

Funeral Payments

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for Social Fund funeral payments were made in each year between 2015 and 2018; how many such applications were refused; and what the (a) average and (b) lowest payment that was made.

Kit Malthouse: As the calendar year 2018 is incomplete at the time of response, figures for 2018 are not included in the tables below. Table 1 provides the number of Funeral Expenses Payments (FEP) applications received and the number of initial refusals in each year between 2015 and 2017. Table 1: FEP applications received and initial refusals, 2015-2017 Year201520162017Applications received46,60044,30041,800Initial refusals20,80019,40016,900 Source: Policy, Budget and Management Information System Notes to table 1:  Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.Due to the timing of application processing, figures on initial refusals may relate to applications received in the previous year.These figures do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.Figures on applications made are based on applications received by DWP, not applications processed. Some applications may have been withdrawn before a decision was made.The number of applications made in each year is not equal to the number of people who made applications in that year. An individual may make multiple applications in a given time period.The number of initial refusals gives the number of initially unsuccessful applications and not those that are unsuccessful after appeal. An application will only be unsuccessful if it does not meet the qualifying criteria. These include, amongst other criteria, being in receipt of relevant benefits and meeting rules regarding relationship with the deceased. The full qualifying criteria are outlined in section 7 of “The Social Fund: Technical Guidance” publication. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-social-fund-technical-guidance/the-social-fund-technical-guidance) Table 2 provides the average FEP award in each year 2015-2017. Table 2: Average FEP award, 2015-2017Year201520162017Average award£1,390£1,420£1,450 Source: Policy, Budget and Management Information System Notes to table 2: Figures are rounded to the nearest £10.The average award figures relate to the average payment net of returned payments (including appeals). This is calculated by taking the total value of payments in a given year (net of returned payments) and dividing by the total number of payments in a given year, as recorded in the Policy, Budget and Management Information System.These averages include awards made after review, reconsideration or appeal following an initial refusal. Data on the lowest FEP award in the years 2015-2018 is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Funeral Payments

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Social Fund Budgeting loans to cover funeral costs were (a) approved and (b) rejected in each of the last five years; and what the (a) average and (b) lowest payment was for a Social Fund Budgeting loans.

Kit Malthouse: Data on Social Fund Budgeting Loans, where the loan is used to cover funeral costs, is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The average Social Fund Budgeting Loan payment in each of the last 5 years is provided in table 1. These relate to all Budgeting Loans and not just those used to cover funeral costs. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. Table 1: Average Budgeting Loan payments, 2013-2017 Year20132014201520162017Average Budgeting Loan payment£400£410£420£430£420 Source: Policy, Budget and Management Information System In each of the last 5 years, the lowest payment made for a Social Fund Budgeting Loan is £100. This is the minimum amount that can be applied for.

Redundancy: Pension Rights

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of internal advice given by her Department on pension rights to employees being made redundant on medical grounds.

Kit Malthouse: My Department has not given any advice on pension rights to employees being made redundant on medical grounds and it takes care not to do so. Employees are directed to the pensions literature published by the pensions administrator, My Civil Service Pension, for information not advice, about efficiency departure compensation and pensions. Employees are otherwise encouraged to seek private independent financial advice.

Department for Work and Pensions: Industrial Health and Safety

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of procedures in her Department to enable employees whose health has been shown by to be affected by intensive online and computer work as part of their employment to be redeployed to alternative work in her Department.

Kit Malthouse: The Department for Work and Pensions has well-established Display Screen Equipment (DSE) procedure in place for dealing with these concerns. These are regarded to exceed best practice, notably by exceeding statutory requirements by applying to all DWP employees, not just those who cite illness as a contributing factor. DSE management within the DWP has a preventive setting and forms part of our mandatory health and safety training. All employees complete interactive DSE training every 3 years or when changes to their work environment or equipment occur. At the end of this training a DSE risk assessment is completed which will inform line management if concerns are raised. This allows management and the individual to discuss what reasonable adjustments are required to mitigate the concerns raised. We can offer a range of reasonable adjustments to our employees, one of which might be redeployment to other duties where it is feasible to do so.

Department for Work and Pensions: Disability

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will publish the current (a) procedures and (b) safeguards her Department operates for employees who (a) have and (b) are developing disabilities.

Kit Malthouse: In DWP, the physical health, safety and mental wellbeing of our people is a top priority. The Department has a duty of care to all its people to ensure that they are supported to deliver the best services to our customers. This includes role modelling as the Department responsible for the Disability Confident scheme, which encourages employers to make the most of the talents that disabled people bring to the workplace. DWP strives to achieve an inclusive culture for all our employees, we have a wide range of policies and procedures that are in place to provide support and assistance. Our Working Well Together strategy is an extensive education, prevention and support programme for all our employees. It covers the priority areas of mental wellbeing, healthy lifestyle, financial wellbeing, physical safety, musculoskeletal conditions, chronic health conditions and social connectivity. Resources we provide include: Access to wellbeing toolkits, programmes, workshops and e-learning covering our priority areas to enable our employees to take a proactive and preventative approach to their health.Our Employee Assistance Programme which is available 24/7 offering confidential counselling, advice and information services for all colleagues and managers, including critical incident debriefing services. Where our employees join us with existing ill-health or if they develop a condition while they are in our employment, where needed we also provide referrals to Occupational Health to obtain expert advice on how best to support with workplace adjustments. These can be temporary or permanent, physical or soft and are aimed at helping an employee undertake their role. This can be through providing specialist equipment, changing working patterns, adjustments to their work objectives or consideration given in the attendance management process, for example, if a colleague has an underlying condition that requires them to take higher than average sickness absences. We also give our line managers discretion to consider special leave which can be given in the form of disability leave, for example in relation to non-routine appointments and treatment such as fitting a prosthesis, counselling or treatment for facial disfigurement. In addition, employees also have access to physiotherapy support, including face to face physiotherapy sessions where poor physical health has led to musculoskeletal problems.

Department for Work and Pensions: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training her Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: All Civil Servants have access to the central learning offer provided through Civil Service Learning. There are one-day workshops on Understanding Parliament, which are delivered at Foundation (introduction) and Practitioner (advanced) levels. Both of these workshops cover Parliament’s scrutiny and legislative roles. Dedicated training sessions covering specific topics are also available. These include Introduction to Parliament, Select Committees, Debates and Voting, Pre and Post Legislative Scrutiny, Parliamentary Questions, Delegated Legislation, and Primary Legislation. A half-day workshop is available on producing effective explanatory memoranda to accompany secondary legislation. The Cabinet Office’s Parliamentary Business and Legislation Team provide training to Bill Teams. The Government Legal Department and Parliamentary Counsel run a course on Dealing with Parliamentary Bills for Lawyers, which covers parliamentary stages and handling. Stand-alone events are run, eg during Parliament Week. Bespoke sessions for government departments are available on request. It is well established that people need just-in-time training and resources to help them while on the job, so Civil Service Learning provide on-line resources, such as weblinks, guides and videos. There is an e-learning course on Understanding Parliament, and access to two Massive Open On-Line Courses (on Understanding Parliament and Select Committees) which have been produced in partnership between the House of Commons and Future Learn, a digital education platform owned by the Open University. Fast Stream Civil Servants receive a Parliament workshop during their induction, covering the role of Parliament in scrutinising government policy. For Policy Professionals, a Fast Stream Base Camp includes an optional workshop which focuses on the legislative process in both houses, typical timetables and roles of Ministers, Bill Teams and civil servants in delivering legislation. For Senior Civil Servants, a tailored a one-day workshop, Leading in Parliament, is available, which covers Parliament’s role, powers and relationship with government, the day-to day work of MPs and Peers. A workshop delivered jointly between Civil Service Learning and HM Treasury is provided for Accounting Officers. Civil Service Learning provides a workshop specifically for Senior Responsible Officers with responsibility for secondary legislation. Every department has an SCS Parliamentary Champion. There is a buddy system in place between Parliamentary Champions and senior House staff. In addition to the courses available on CSL, DWP holds regular training and awareness sessions on secondary legislation and better regulation including the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament that are available to all civil servants involved in policy development, as well as internally delivered workshops and tailored training sessions to individuals and teams who are preparing to make legislation or those who wish to learn more about Parliamentary processes, these are offered to members of staff by the Department’s Parliamentary and Legislative Strategy teams. To support this bespoke training sessions with representatives from the Parliamentary committee secretariats including the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee and the Work and Pensions Select Committee are arranged as needed. Officials from the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee are also regularly invited to provide training on devolution matters or the processes for taking primary legislation through Parliament including the role of the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee. As the Department for Work and Pensions is a significant delivery Department, with the vast majority of staff in public facing roles, Parliamentary training is largely concentrated on colleagues in central roles. It is typically provided on a ‘train the trainer’ basis, with the aim that attendees then disseminate their learning among their colleagues. This training is provided on an ad hoc basis in response to requests from teams, individuals or their line managers. As such, the number of events and numbers attending are not recorded.

Children: Maintenance

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of staff who work in his Department’s Financial Investigation Unit are tasked with seeking to identify the assets and income of people alleged to be hiding those assets and income from the Child Maintenance Service; of how many people at what grades that proportion consists; and what recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of that number for the task those staff perform.

Kit Malthouse: As at the end of March 2018, we have 73 people working within the Child Maintenance Financial Investigation Unit, which is comprised of 1 Grade 7, 2 SEOs, 7 HEOs, 51 EOs and 12 AOs. Of these people, all except the AOs are tasked with seeking to identify assets and income of people alleged to be hiding those assets and income. The numbers of people working within the Financial Investigation Unit is reviewed regularly, with the most recent review completing in April 2018. Plans are in place to increase the numbers of people by a further 23 (1 SEO, 2 HEOs and 20 EOs) by December 2018.

Department for Work and Pensions: Incentives

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at his Department and its agencies in each of the last six years; and what the total cost of those bonuses was.

Kit Malthouse: As part of the Government’s transparency agenda, departments publish annual information on the number of awards and spend on end-year and in-year Non-Consolidated Performance Related Pay. This information can be found on the department’s website [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-performance-related-pay] and on data.gov.uk. Information for future years will be published in the usual way.

Universal Credit: Stoke on Trent

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 May 2018 to Question 139031, on Universal Credit: Stoke on Trent, if she will place a copy of the research referred to in that Answer in the Library.

Kit Malthouse: The research published by DWP is in the Universal Credit Extended Gateway: findings from research with extended Gateway claimants, and is available athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-research-with-single-claimants-including-those-with-housing-costs. We also plan to publish our further research into Universal Credit and arrears later this year.

Social Security benefits: Children

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 27 April 2018, HCWS653, what the timescale is for removing the ordering restriction on exceptions to the two-child limit for children in kinship care and adopted children.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 27 April 2018, HCWS653, whether she plans to backdate awards of tax credits and universal credit to claimants who will become eligible for that support under the proposed changes announced in that statement.

Kit Malthouse: Extending the existing exceptions for these children will require regulatory change via the negative procedure. The Department for Work and Pensions will bring regulations forward as soon as possible in relation to Universal Credit, alongside Child Tax Credit regulations to be brought forward by HM Treasury. The Department for Work and Pensions is working closely with HM Treasury and HMRC to consider how best to achieve the operational changes in order to implement this extension as soon as possible and will make further announcements at the appropriate time.

Employment: Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers, published jointly by her Department and the Department of Health and Social care in October 2017, what the timetable is for the implementation of the recommendations of that report.

Sarah Newton: The Government responded to the full review as part of our response to the consultation on the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper on 30th November. As part of our recently published command paper Improving Lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability, we set out a broad ranging strategy to further support disabled people and people with health conditions – including mental health conditions - to enter and thrive in work. This publication also included our formal response to all of the Stevenson/Farmer review’s recommendation. The Government is overseeing progress across recommendations that range from short term deliverables to longer term reform. The Prime Minister accepted the recommendations that apply to the Civil Service and NHSE as employers on the day of publication. The Civil Service is in a good place to meet the standards and has identified areas of positive practice particularly surrounding mental health awareness, support and demonstration of accountability, and the NHS is implementing the mental health standards through the new single NHS Workforce Health and Wellbeing Framework, which will be published in the summer.

Employment: Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers, published jointly by her Department and the Department of Health and Social care in October 2017, what the timetable is for establishing a Mental Health and Employer Leadership Council to oversee the progress on the recommendations of that report.

Sarah Newton: The Government responded to the full review on 30th November as part of the command paper Improving Lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability. As set out in this publication, we agree with the review’s recommendation on the need to provide leadership and accountability, and maintain the momentum generated by the review. We will set out further plans shortly.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints relating to the equalisation of the state pension age are being processed; and how many case examiners are assigned to such complaints.

Kit Malthouse: We have interpretted this as being a request for information about the complaints being processed by the Independant Case Examiner’s Office. As of 10 May 2018, the Independent Case Examiner’s Office had 2,841 complaints about the equalisation of state pension age at various stages of it’s process; and a dedicated team of three investigation case managers examining this group of complaints.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Animal Experiments: Cosmetics

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support international efforts to end cosmetics testing on animals worldwide.

George Eustice: Defra has no specific policy responsibility for international efforts to end cosmetic testing on animals. The Home Office regulate the use of animals in science in the UK. The Office for Life Sciences has shared the UK’s own experience of introducing a ban on cosmetics testing on animals with other countries, including, most recently, China.

Home Office

Police: Road Traffic Control

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of using a non-plastic alternative to cones used by police forces.

Mr Nick Hurd: Decisions around the procurement of police traffic cones is a matter for individual forces to determine.Concerns around the type of traffic cones procured, should be raised with individual forces or with the directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners.

Slavery: North Yorkshire

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will encourage the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire to support and fund the emerging partnership against modern slavery in the North Yorkshire area.

Victoria Atkins: While the performance of police forces in the fight against modern slavery is a key priority of this government, the deployment of resources at the local level is ultimately a decision for chief officers, in line with the local priorities set by their Police and Crime Commissioner.The Home Secretary has £8.5million of additional funding available to transform the policing response. This money has been used to fund a bespoke modern slavery intelligence hub, regional analysts, improved training and tactical advisors to support front line officers.

Human Trafficking

Joanna Cherry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made on the effect of the modern slavery strategy on preventing human trafficking.

Victoria Atkins: The 2017 UK Annual Report on Modern Slavery details the steps the Government has taken to prevent and tackle modern slavery, including through implementation of the Modern Slavery Strategy. The report provides an assessment of performance across a range of indicators and future plans to build on this. The report is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2017-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery

EU Immigration: Horn of Africa

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of progress on the EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative to tackle irregular migration.

Caroline Nokes: The Khartoum Process has made good progress to address people smuggling and human trafficking in the Horn of Africa. The UK chaired two thematic meetings in 2016 and 2017 and Egypt hosted a trilateral meeting (Khartoum/Rabat Processes and Horn of Africa Initiative) in November 2017 to understand: progress to date; ongoing challenges; and the solutions needed for a joined-up and concerted response.The Khartoum Process has approved 147 programmes under its Better Migration Management (BMM) programme and it also continues to implement the Regional Operation Centre of Khartoum (ROCK) which aims to improve cooperation and information sharing between law enforcement agencies to disrupt the people smuggling and trafficking rings exploiting migrants. The 2018 Italian Chairmanship will build upon these efforts with further thematic and training workshops alongside a review of thematic conclusions to ensure tangible future delivery. There will also be a Joint Senior Officials Meeting in November to assess the progress made under the Joint Valletta Action Plan.

Immigrants: Detainees

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what payments his Department has made to private companies for (a) keeping people in custody and detention and (b) deporting people in relation to immigration cases in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office uses private companies to provide detention facilities for immigration purposes, as well for the provision of escorting and travel services in relation to Removals.The operating costs for each of these contracts is commercially confidential and public disclosure would prejudice the commercial interests of the Home Office and its suppliers. However, the Home Office publishes payments in excess of £25K on its website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/home-office-spendingThe data available on the link above covers the period up to the end of January 2017. Further transparency spend data will be uploaded to this web address by July 2018.

Migrant Workers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance his Department issues to employers on the documentation which must be presented to enable a non-EU citizen to work in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: Guidance to employers on conducting Right to Work checks, which includes the documents they may accept as evidence of someone’s right to work in the UK, is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-work-checks-employers-guide.In the event that employees, or prospective employees, are unable to present documentation which is acceptable for the purposes of demonstrating their right to work, the employer may contact the Home Office’s Employer Checking Service to confirm if an individual has the right to work.

Immigration

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been refused infinite leave to remain on the grounds of being (a) a threat to national security and (b) undesirable under section 322(5) of the Immigration Rules in each year since the implementation of those Rules.

Caroline Nokes: This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Deportation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deportation orders have been in place for more than five years (a) now and (b) at the beginning of each of the last five financial years.

Caroline Nokes: Providing the information requested would require a manual check of individual records which could only be done at disproportionate cost.The Home Office does routinely publish the number of foreign national offenders removed from the UK. This information can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2017-data-tables

Members: Correspondence

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by what date she plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Rochdale dated 22 March 2018 on Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre reference number IW/0043.

Caroline Nokes: I apologise for the delay in responding to the Honourable Member. A response has been sent to the Honourable Member (May 2018).

Home Office: Written Questions

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to Question 140712, on Right of Abode: EU Nationals, tabled by the hon. Member for Wolverhampton North East on 2 May 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The response for UIN 140712 was provided on the 9th May 2018.

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether non-EU citizens who are spouses of British nationals and exercise free movement rights under the Surinder Singh principle are included in the citizens' rights agreement reached with the EU and will be eligible to apply for the settled status scheme.

Caroline Nokes: Although not covered by the draft Withdrawal Agreement, it is our intention that family members of UK nationals who have exercised their free movement rights in another EU Member State before returning to the UK prior to the end of the implementation period, as per Surinder Singh case law, will be eligible for the UK’s settled status scheme.

Visas: Families

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many employees of universities have applied for visas for their (a) spouses and (b) families in each of the last five years; and how many of those applications have (a) been accepted, b) been rejected and (c) are still pending.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time is for his Department to process spousal visas.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what compensation his Department provides to people who experience delays with their spousal visa applications.

Caroline Nokes: The specific data requested is not available. Information on the employer of those individuals sponsoring visa applicants is not collected by the Home Office as it is not required as part of visa application processes.Published data on visa processing times, including the percentage of visas processed within published service standards, is published online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data (then listed by publication date under ‘UK Visas & Immigration’).Should a customer wish to seek compensation they are advised to contact UKVI and they will be dealt with on a case by case basis in accordance with the complaints procedure:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration/about/complaints-procedure

Visas

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to UK Visa and Immigration is to process (a) spousal visas and (b) student visas.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office publishes a list of Border, Immigration and Citizenship (BIC) application fees and estimated unit costs which can be reviewed via the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/691200/Fees_Unit_Cost_Table_-_April_2018.pdf(a) A spouse can submit a dependant application under a number of different routes depending on the visa category of their spouse/partner. However, if the individual is making an application to join their spouse/partner who is them self settled in the UK, or a British citizen, they would apply via the Route to Settlement category, which is shown on page 4 of the linked table.(b) The estimated unit costs for both In-UK and overseas student visa applications are shown on page 3 of the linked table.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what training her Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt: DFID holds limited data in response to this question. Some staff have completed the Parliamentary process training (online e-learning only). The attendance data, below, covers the period 1st April 2015 – 9th May 2018. There is no data recorded prior to April 2015.YearNo. of ParticipantsGrade BreakdownApril 2015 – Mar 2016123 x Fast Streamers 2 x A2 1 x A2 (L) 5 x B1 1 x B2April 2016 – Mar 2017131 x A1 1 x A2 1 x A2 (L) 7 x B1s 3 x B2sApril 2017 – Mar 2018121 x A2 1 x A2 (L) 4 x B1 4 x B2 1 x C1 1 x C2Total:37DFID’s Parliamentary branch provides optional ad hoc training throughout the year on the processes of Parliament. While figures on attendance for the previous five years are unavailable, these short courses are open to civil servants of all grades.All employees are responsible for their own personal development, supported by the line manager and have access to Civil Service Learning.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not signed any non-disclosure agreements with any employees in any of the last five years.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each year for which figures are available.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union has not issued any non-disclosure agreements to employees in the lifetime of the department.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Mr Steve Baker: All civil servants have access to the central learning offer provided through Civil Service Learning. There are one-day workshops on Understanding Parliament, which are delivered at Foundation (introduction) and Practitioner (advanced) levels. Both of these workshops cover Parliament’s scrutiny and legislative roles. The Department for Exiting the European Union has delivered the Understanding Parliament Foundation and Practitioner training courses to 66 staff since April 2017. As part of a blended approach to delivering training, and providing resources to help individuals while on the job, Civil Service Learning provides online resources, such as weblinks, guides and videos. There is an e-learning course on Understanding Parliament, and access to two comprehensive Open Online Courses (on Understanding Parliament and Select Committees) which have been produced in partnership between the House of Commons and Future Learn, a digital education platform owned by the Open University. Fast Stream civil servants receive a Parliament workshop during their induction, covering the role of Parliament in scrutinising government policy. All Fast Streamers are expected to have attended this induction. For Policy Professionals, there is an optional workshop which focuses on the legislative process in both Houses, typical timetables and roles of Ministers, Bill Teams and civil servants in delivering legislation. For Senior Civil Servants, a tailored one-day workshop, Leading in Parliament, is available, which covers Parliament’s role, powers and relationship with government, the day-to-day work of MPs and Peers. A workshop delivered jointly between Civil Service Learning and HM Treasury is provided for Accounting Officers. Civil Service Learning provides a workshop specifically for Senior Responsible Officers with responsibility for secondary legislation. Every department has an SCS Parliamentary Champion and there is a buddy system in place between Parliamentary Champions and senior House staff.

Customs Unions

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on 3 May 2018, Official Report, column 459, if he will name the countries that have stated that they will not enter into a free trade agreement with the UK if the UK remains in the Customs Union.

Suella Braverman: If the UK were to remain part of the EU Customs Union, our trade policy would, as a consequence, be determined by the EU. Some third countries have highlighted this issue. For example, in March 2018 the then Australian High Commissioner publicly said that if we were to the leave the EU but remain within the Customs Union, “all Australia’s trade negotiating would be done through Brussels and the capital cities of the major EU member states” as a result.

Borders: Northern Ireland

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will publish the outcome of the joint mapping exercise on border arrangements between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland carried out by those negotiating on behalf of the Government and the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Secretary of State for Exiting the EU, David Davis, has written to the Chair of the Exiting the EU Committee, Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, committing to publishing the results of the North-South cooperation mapping exercise as soon as they are available.Currently, the joint mapping exercise remains part of ongoing negotiations with the EU and further work has been agreed to finalise it.We are hopeful that we can conclude this soon. We would, of course, seek to coordinate any release of information with the European Commission.

Treasury

Treasury: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Robert Jenrick: HMT offers a wide range of training to staff of all levels, including on devolution and intergovernmental relations. This includes both HMT specific training and centrally run training through the Civil Service-wide ‘Devolution and You’ programme.

Treasury: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many leak enquiries his Department has undertaken in the last two years.

Robert Jenrick: The leak of any Government information or material is not acceptable and the Government takes such incidents very seriously. It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on security matters other than in exceptional circumstances when it is in the public interest to do so.

Treasury: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Robert Jenrick: HM Treasury has signed no non-disclosure agreements with employees in any of the last five years.

Instalment Credit

Neil Parish: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the effectiveness of affordability checks in place by rent-to-own lenders.

John Glen: Treasury ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. This includes regular meetings with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to discuss relevant regulatory issues. The FCA requires all consumer credit firms to conduct appropriate affordability checks, and in July 2017 it consulted on new rules and guidance on creditworthiness assessments, to clarify that firms must consider whether a customer can afford to repay without causing financial distress. A final policy statement is due later this year. The FCA is also conducting a review of the high-cost credit market, including rent-to-own. The FCA will publish an update later this month

Treasury: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Robert Jenrick: In 2017/18 the Government Car Service allocated one car to the Treasury. This is jointly shared by the Chancellor and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Instalment Credit

Caroline Lucas: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's policy is on the introduction of a cap on the total cost of rent-to-own goods; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: The government is committed to protecting consumers from unfair lending practises. To this end, the government has given the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) strong powers, including the power to cap the cost of credit, and it will do so if it thinks it is necessary to protect consumers. The FCA is conducting a review of the high-cost credit market, including rent-to-own, and will publish an update later this month. The government will continue to work closely with the FCA to ensure that all customers are treated fairly.

Petroleum Revenue Tax

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received an exemption from the petroleum revenue tax for exploration and appraisal expenditure in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received an exemption from the petroleum revenue tax for cross-field allowance in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received an exemption from the petroleum revenue tax for research expenditure in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received an exemption from the petroleum revenue tax for unrelieved field loss in (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Robert Jenrick: Only companies are able to claim petroleum revenue tax relief for exploration and appraisal expenditure. Fewer than ten companies claimed the relief in each of 2015-16 and 2016-17.Only companies are able to claim cross field allowance for petroleum revenue tax relief. Fewer than ten companies claimed the relief in each of 2015-16 and 2016-17.Only companies are able to claim Petroleum Revenue Tax relief for research expenditure. Fewer than ten companies claimed the relief in each of 2015-16 and 2016-17.Only companies are able to claim Petroleum Revenue Tax relief for unrelieved field losses. Fewer than ten companies claimed the relief in each of 2015-16 and 2016-17.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Tourism: National Income

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of gross domestic product tourism accounts for.

Michael Ellis: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 29 March 2018.The correct answer should have been:

In 2016 Tourism accounted for £66bn GVA, which was 14.2% 3.8%of the total UK GVA.

Michael Ellis: In 2016 Tourism accounted for £66bn GVA, which was 14.2% 3.8%of the total UK GVA.

Arts: Northern Ireland

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to visit Northern Ireland to meet with representatives of the creative industries.

Margot James: The Secretary of State has no current plans to visit Northern Ireland. However he is constantly reviewing his regional visits programme. Creative industries policy is a devolved matter. Members of the Devolved Administrations attend meetings of the Creative Industries Council, which the Secretary of State co-Chairs. We work closely with Northern Ireland on creative industries policy through DCMS’s participation in the British-Irish Council creative industries workstream.

Cultural Heritage: Aircraft

Leo Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the level of the contribution of the heritage aviation sector to the UK economy.

Michael Ellis: Aviation heritage plays a valuable role in our tourism economy. Events such as the Farnborough Airshow attract hundreds of thousands of tourists, and support the local economy, as well as being good for our aerospace and defence industry. My Department sponsors the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, which is visited by almost 400,000 visitors every year, and houses everything from Spitfires to Concorde. The Heritage Lottery Fund is also open to applications which celebrate our rich aviation history. Recent recipients include Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, an historic site for aviation manufacturing and a successful tourist attraction given £4.7million, and the Stow Maries First World War Aerodrome in Essex, recently granted £4.3million to turn it into a major visitor attraction.

Air Displays

Leo Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support airshows throughout the UK.

Michael Ellis: DCMS is a sponsor of VisitBritain and VisitEngland - who provide support for all types of hospitality and tourism stakeholders. VisitBritain and VisitEngland make available a comprehensive library of guidance for tourism businesses - ranging from step by step marketing guides to advice on how to implement tourism related regulation. In addition, VisitEngland supports tourism businesses through the £40 million Discover England Fund. There are no airshows included in the current projects.

Tourism: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to promote tourism in outer London.

Michael Ellis: VisitBritain and VisitEngland are responsible for promoting the UK as a tourist destination, through a range of different initiatives and campaigns. London features in many of VisitBritain’s campaign, such as the current global marketing campaign ‘I Travel For’ to increase inbound tourism to Great Britain. VisitBritain also work with travel and tourism partners such as Sony Pictures and Studio Canal, to promote filming locations across London, and Barclays Premier League to convert football fans to visitors, promoting London stadia and their surrounding neighbourhoods. Additionally, VisitBritain work closely with London and Partners to ensure complementary marketing campaigns, including investing £500,000 in London & Partners’ Autumn Season campaign. They are also supporting London & Partners’ culture and dispersal messaging – helping attract visitors to London’s vibrant outer neighbourhoods and supporting the Mayor’s priority of delivering for all Londoners.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Training

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.

Margot James: Extensive training is provided through Civil Service Learning, the Policy Profession and the UK Governance and Devolution Team in the Cabinet Office. In addition to this, the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport’s (DCMS) in-house Devolution team provides complementary learning through:Departmental masterclasses, including tailored sessions for specialised teams;bespoke learning through a rolling programme of training at individual team meetings;tailored advice on individual issues as they arise;local inductions for new starters;a Devolution Learning Week for all staff, held annually:hosting and participation in the One Civil Service Interchange Programme;online training through Civil Service Learning; andguidance on the Departmental Intranet. Information on take-up of this training offer over the past five years is not held by the Department.Training for DCMS senior civil servants and fast stream civil servants is provided centrally by Cabinet Office.Since its release in November 2016, ten DCMS civil servants have undertaken the online training for the course 'devolution and intergovernmental working;' DCMS have hosted four civil servants from devolved administrations through the Interchange Programme; and two DCMS civil servants have been out on Interchange to devolved administrations since 2017/18.

Volleyball

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the take-up of volleyball in the UK.

Tracey Crouch: According to Sport England's most recent Active Lives Survey, around 77,500 people regularly play volleyball.Sport England will be investing exchequer and lottery funding of almost £1.7m into Volleyball England to support its participation and talent programmes for the five-year period from 2017.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Disclosure of Information

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many leak enquiries his Department has undertaken in the last two years.

Margot James: It has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on security matters other than in exceptional circumstances when it is in the public interest to do so. The leak of any Government information or material is not acceptable and the Government takes such incidents very seriously.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Disclosure of Information

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with employees in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Margot James: The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is not able to provide a response to cover the last five years. In 2017, there were five non-disclosure agreements, all relating to recruitment of temporary staff. Non-disclosure agreements are put in place in exceptional circumstances. Non-disclosure agreements in DCMS are only used for temporary staff who will work on sensitive information, where commercially or politically sensitive.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Official Cars

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the job titles are of civil servants in his Department who have been provided with (a) an official car and (b) a driver.

Margot James: No DCMS civil servant is provided with an official car.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Tourism

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the total spend by his Department on promoting regional tourism in each year since 2010.

Michael Ellis: VisitBritain and VisitEngland do not hold a breakdown of spending at local level and DCMS do not hold information of spending at local authority level - this is held by the Ministry for Housing, Central and Local Government. VisitBritain and VisitEngland are responsible for promoting the UK as a tourist destination, through a range of different initiatives and campaigns. VisitBritain receive grant-in-aid totalling £19.4m from DCMS and VisitEngland receive £7m. VisitBritain also receive £22.8m of GREAT funding to support promotion activities. For every £1 the Government has invested in VisitBritain for international marketing, an overseas visitor spends £20 in Britain. VisitEngland administer the £40m Discover England Fund which is designed to develop innovative and collaborative tourism products which are aimed at encouraging visitors to explore the regions of England beyond London. For example the Waterways of England project is led by the West Midlands Growth Company and targets international visitors, encouraging them to explore the English countryside using the canals, focusing on Birmingham and the surrounding area.

Gaming Machines

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of the statement by the Association of British Bookmakers that reducing the maximum stake on gaming machines in betting shops from £100 to £2 will lead to (a) up to 4,500 betting shops closing, (b) 21,000 jobs being lost and (c) a net loss to the UK economy of up to £8.5 billion over the next 10 years.

Tracey Crouch: On 31 October 2017 the government published proposals for changes on gaming machines and social responsibility measures. The consultation outlined options for cutting the maximum stake of Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals to between £50 and £2 and invited views. The consultation closed on 23 January. On 19 March the Gambling Commission published its advice. The Government will consider this alongside the responses received by the consultation, including those from the industry and from others, and will publish its response in due course.

British Museum: Staff

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the British Museum on British Museums workers employed by Carillion.

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received from British Museum workers and their representatives on jobs outsourced to Carillion.

Michael Ellis: The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has not had any direct discussions on this with the British Museum, for whom this is an operational matter. However DCMS officials have been in regular discussions with the British Museum about future arrangements to ensure the museum is able to continue to run an effective, resilient and well-loved museum.

House of Commons Commission

Parliamentary Tours

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the reasons are for the introduction in October 2018 of a new system of Members' tours of the Palace of Westminster.

Tom Brake: A review of the operating model for guided tours was undertaken because the current commercial contract, with Tour Guides Ltd to provide Blue Badge Tour Guides to take paid-for tours, is coming to an end in October 2018. This contract would not be extendable without a full procurement exercise. The end of the contract term has provided the opportunity to take a fresh look at how Parliament provides all democratic access and paid for guided tours. We want to reduce the complexity of the existing model (there are currently three different pools of tour guides conducting different types of tours, with different rates of pay and status of employment), ensure that quality tours are consistently delivered and ensure public money is spent wisely. We also want to take this opportunity to end Parliament’s use of casual contracts with no guaranteed hours.The new operating model simplifies the management of our tours operation as a whole while maintaining the quality and consistency across all types of tours offered. It creates 28 new permanent jobs and ends our use of casual workers with no guaranteed hours. It will also save a modest amount of taxpayers’ money.

Parliamentary Tours

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what training the Commission plans to provide for the new guides for Members' tours to ensure that the level of current expertise and knowledge is maintained.

Tom Brake: Training for new guides will be provided through the Visitor Services Academy. The academy will be an internal accreditation programme developing the skills and expertise of guides delivering tours under the new operating model, which begins in October. The academy will deliver a structured programme of support and training using both internal and external expertise. Guides will undergo regular monitoring and assessment throughout their training to ensure that the quality of guided tours is maintained. The approach to training has been benchmarked against a number of external organisations and is consistent with that provided at comparable organisations.

Parliament: Food

John Mann: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many kilogrammes of food Parliament has discarded in (a) the last week and (b) the last month for which data are available.

Tom Brake: Holding answer received on 08 May 2018



For the working week of 23rd to 27th April 2018 (Monday – Friday), 4,845kgs of food waste from catering facilities was discarded.For April 2018, 20,790kgs of food waste from catering facilities was discarded.Residual food waste from offices is currently captured in the general waste stream and therefore at present we are unable to provide a breakdown of the total amount of food discarded from the Estate.

Parliament: Food

John Mann: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to reduce food waste in Parliament.

Tom Brake: Food waste from prepared dishes in House of Commons catering outlets is 3% against sales. This is well below the national average for the catering industry of 5%. The Sustainable Restaurant Association has rated the House of Commons as a good practice organisation in respect of food waste. We take various measures to monitor and reduce the amount of food waste from catering outlets. There are a number of ways that we are able to help minimise our food wastage:We have menu plans and cycles which enable orders to be thought out in advance.We make the vast majority of dishes fresh in-house. This enables us to improvise if products need to be used up and we can use short life products in smoothies, soups and salads for example.Stock is regularly counted and order volumes are considerate of stock-in-hand.Dates are checked regularly on ambient food products and any short life products are issued to the kitchens and used up.For many of the high-volume protein items, these are ordered by unit rather than weight which makes portion control more accurate and less prone to over ordering.Venue orders are checked by a purchasing team for accuracy to ensure that orders and volumes are accurate and in line with historic figures.Our kitchens make salad items in-house meaning they are able to cook-off and utilise any surplus protein products effectively.Stock is always rotated using first in first out principles.We utilise various smart storage methods and materials to help prevent premature spoilage.Some products are frozen if not used on the day.Products which show high levels of wastage are changed, so for example some high frequency/low volume lines are now frozen which enables portion control.Any hot food that we have which is reusable is both transferred immediately where it can be used or blast chilled within food safety requirements and used the following day.In the case of sandwiches, any unsold products are returned to the supplier and they in turn assist with adjusting future order quantities. This has been in force since January 2013 and sandwich wastage is at just 2.5% which is well below industry standards.

Women and Equalities

Public Buildings: Disability

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether she plans to require Departments and local councils to publish the provisions that they have in place for disabled access to their buildings; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: The Equality Act 2010 requires service providers and employers, including public authorities, to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not put at a substantial disadvantage, including in questions of access. For service providers this is an anticipatory duty, which means that they should not wait until they are asked to make an adjustment. However, the duty does not require publication of information about any adjustments made or the general accessibility features of a building, such as those required by building regulations. The Government agrees that the public sector can play an important leadership role in providing accessibility information for building users, whether they are visitors or employees. However, the Government believes that such decisions are best made at a local level and has no plans to introduce a requirement for such information to be published.

Council of Europe Convention On Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence

Sarah Champion: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the timetable is for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention.

Victoria Atkins: The Government signed the Istanbul Convention to signal the UK’s strong commitment to tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG). As the November 2017 progress report sets out, in most respects the UK already complies with, or goes further than the Convention requires. We have significantly strengthened the legislative framework; introduced new protective tools; and issued a range of guidance and support for frontline professionals. We have always been clear on our commitment to ratifying the Convention. The Domestic Abuse Bill will be another step towards meeting that commitment by extending extraterritorial jurisdiction over offences required by the Convention which, for England and Wales, is the final legislative step necessary for ratification. We are consulting widely as we develop the proposals for the draft Domestic Abuse Bill, and launched a public consultation on 8 March, International Women’s Day. We are keen to hear from experts, including charities, service providers and legal experts, to understand their views and ensure that the voices of domestic abuse victims and survivors are heard. As the criminal law and the majority of the areas covered by the Convention are devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Devolved Administrations are considering what legislative or other changes are necessary for compliance with the Convention in their territories. The Government liaises regularly with the Devolved Administrations on VAWG issues and we will continue working closely with the Scottish Government and Northern Ireland Executive to ensure we are taking a coordinated approach on this agenda. We are also in ongoing discussions with the voluntary and community sector on these issues, and in line with the requirement of section 2 of the Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Ratification of Convention) Act 2017, we will set out a timetable for ratification in due course.